By Tom Frary
One of the least-likely candidates on paper for Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. at York, Guy Brook's Secret Satire (GB) (Advertise {GB}–Secret Pursuit {Ire}, by Lawman {Fr}) defied formbook logic to run out a clear-cut winner of one of the premier Oaks trials. Only third in a Sandown novice last month, the Andrew Balding-trained 22-1 shot raced freely early before being found cover by Oisin Murphy behind the leader. Staying on strongly to gain the advantage a furlong out, the homebred drew away late to score by two lengths from Francophone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), with Classical Song (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) half a length away in third. The 8-11 favourite Friendly Soul (GB) (Kingman {GB}) hung right throughout and finished last.
Whether the winner is a true mile-and-a-half prospect is not clear, both on pedigree and the way this race panned out. “We were going very slow early and I couldn't get cover because the leaders stayed off the rail,” Murphy explained. “It wasn't a true test of stamina, so we don't really know whether she's going to stay at Epsom, but on that performance she didn't do a lot in front and she deserves maybe to go there if Andrew decides.”
Making an inauspicious start to her career when a well-beaten sixth in a seven-furlong Salisbury novice in early October, Secret Satire upped her game considerably later that month to shed her maiden tag at a mile on Lingfield's Polytrack before convincing connections that she could have Classic potential over the winter. Sent to the Sandown novice that guarantees entry into the Oaks, she was beaten by the Gosdens' duo Siyola (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Beeley (GB) (Camelot {GB}) trying to give away a penalty to both and arrived here under the radar.
Anna-Lisa Balding was not immediately ruling out a tilt at the Epsom Classic. “Oisin was confident actually when we legged him up and he's come back in and been very complimentary, so we'll see how she is but I think the last Friday in May could be an option,” she said. “They didn't go very quick early and she was over-racing a little bit for the first half a mile, but she's a gorgeous filly who really covers the ground.”
“I'm so delighted for Guy Brook, it's his first group winner, he's a big supporter and I'm absolutely thrilled. It's 21 years since we won the Oaks and it's just lovely to have runners in those big races. It's the time of year when all the geese are swans and all the smiles in the mornings can turn the wrong way round, but that one will really put a smile on Andrew's face.”
Francophone's trainer Charlie Johnston said, “I always thought she'd be a filly comfortable in Pattern company, that's why she went to the May Hill last year and Southwell sort of served its purpose as a starting point for the year. It looked a strange race to me, slowly run. Two and a half out I thought we'd won so it's one of those, if you'd offered me this beforehand I'd have bitten your hand off but watching it live, two out I thought we were going to win as the favourite had pulled its chance away and the stars seemed to be aligning.”
“She's run well and showed she's at home in this sort of company but the way she travelled there, I'm not sure she wants a mile and a half yet. She's in the [G2] Ribblesdale but I'd be inclined to maybe stay at this trip for the foreseeable. Obviously for this owner [Kirsten Rausing] and this family, with black-type secured, that is the first tick in the box.”
Ralph Beckett said of the third Classical Song and fourth La Pasionaria (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), “I thought it was a good effort from both our fillies. We'll see how they come out of it, Classical Song might wait for the [G2] Ribblesdale, I think she'll get a mile and a half looking at that. The other filly, I'll work it out, we've others to think about but I was really pleased with her. Both our trial winners [Forest Fairy and You Got To Me] will go for the Oaks and I'll work out what we do with these two, something else.”
Pedigree Notes
Brook purchased the dam Secret Pursuit for €140,000 at the 2013 Arqana Saint-Cloud May Breeze Up and despite finishing second in the Listed Cheshire Oaks, was not taken to Epsom and instead dropped in trip. Enjoying her finest hour when winning the Listed Prix Solitude, she has produced the Listed Height of Fashion S. third Secret Solace (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}). A daughter of the G3 Oppenheim-Stuten-Meile scorer Secret Melody (Fr) (Inchinor {GB}), who also produced the G3 Prix des Chenes and G3 Prix du Palais-Royal winner and G1 Gran Criterium-placed Pearl Flute (Ire) (Piccolo {GB}), her 2-year-old filly by Advertise's sire Showcasing (GB) was certainly missed at Tattersalls October Book 2 when bought back for 65,000gns. She also has a colt foal by Gleneagles (Ire).
👀 22/1 chance Secret Satire wins the @Tattersalls1766 Musidora Stakes@yorkracecourse | @oismurphy pic.twitter.com/9lMo55oQMy
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 15, 2024
Wednesday, York, Britain
TATTERSALLS MUSIDORA S.-G3, £130,000, York, 5-15, 3yo, f, 10f 56yT, 2:12.64, gd.
1–SECRET SATIRE (GB), 128, f, 3, by Advertise (GB)
1st Dam: Secret Pursuit (Ire) (SW-Fr, SP-Eng), by Lawman (Fr)
2nd Dam: Secret Melody (Fr), by Inchinor (GB)
3rd Dam: Secret Music, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Guy Brook (GB); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy. £73,723. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-1, $100,704. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Francophone (GB), 128, f, 3, Study Of Man (Ire)–Francophilia (GB), by Frankel (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Charlie Johnston. £27,950.
3–Classical Song (Ire), 128, f, 3, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Cottonmouth (Ire), by Noverre. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€160,000 Ylg '22 GOFOR; €420,000 2yo '23 ARQMAY). O-Doreen Tabor; B-John O'Connor (IRE); T-Ralph Beckett. £13,988.
Margins: 2, HF, HF. Odds: 22.00, 16.00, 4.50.
Also Ran: La Pasionaria (GB), Mayfair (Ire), Sinology (GB), Friendly Soul (GB).
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