So Mi Dar cut into 8s for the Oaks

Away from the lure of the champion trainer battle, all eyes were on the 2.30 Investec Derby Trial at Epsom Downs involving a rather tasty looking battle between AP O’Brien’s maiden winner Claudio Monteverdi and John Gosden’s filly So Mi Dar. Also in the mix were experienced three-year olds Humphrey Bogart and Beaverbrook, both who were coming into this off the back of runs this season.

It seemed that with two furlongs to go that So Mi Dar was in a spot of bother – she had raced keenly and her price had drifted out to 3/1 before the off to leave Claudio Monteverdi as clear favourite in the market – however, under a strong drive from Frankie Dettori, who even dropped his whip as he stormed to the front with less than two furlongs left, the Dubawi filly prevailed ahead of a fast closing Humphrey Bogart. Meanwhile, Claudio Monteverdi could only manage a disappointing fourth around seven lengths behind the winner.

As was the impressive nature of the victory, even with the margin of victory just a neck, that her price for the Oaks has since been slashed into 8/1 after two wins from two outings, placing her second favourite behind Minding, who is expected to run in the 1000 Guineas instead. She could now head to the Musidora Stakes at York in May on her way to the Epsom Classic in June.

“She was a little gassy early and Frankie dropped her out and settled her in,” Gosden said following the race. “She came there nicely and then he threw his whip away three out, which was a good idea as I didn’t want him to hit her.

“We came here to see how she handled the track and she’s handled it well, so with a bit of luck we’ll go to the Musidora and then come back here for the Oaks. She was just idling in front, she wasn’t running out of stamina, and her mother stayed well.

“For a filly who’s had one little run in her life at Windsor, to come here and take on the colts over the Epsom contours is a big challenge and she’s handled it very well. She’s got a lot of talent, her mother was brilliant and she’s by a fabulous stallion, so hopefully we’re in business.”
Claudio Monteverdi, on the other hand, is out to as high as 50/1 for the Derby – connections will be hoping this is just a blip on the radar, although many will have scrapped him from their notebooks after Wednesday’s performance.

Humphrey Bogart has no entries at present but followers will be keen to see where he turns up with this form set to prove very, very good over the course of the season.