Aviate bids to keep Cecil flying with another Musidora triumph

AVIATE bids to give owner Prince Khalid Abdullah and trainer Henry Cecil another string to their Investec Oaks bow when she lines-up at York today.

The Dansili filly defends her 100 per cent record in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes when she will try to go one better than her stablemate Timepiece, who was runner-up in the Lingfield Oaks Trial on Saturday.

Cecil has won the Group 3 contest eight times and relies on Aviate, who steps up to an extended mile and a quarter after two wins over a mile.

"We like her, but this is very much a fact-finding mission," said the owner's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe. "Hopefully this race will show us which path we need to follow."

Aidan O'Brien is hoping Cabaret can steal the show as he seeks to win the Musidora for the first time. The Ballydoyle trainer has picked up most of the important Group races in Europe but this major Classic trial has eluded him so far.

Cabaret looked a bright prospect when landing a Group 3 contest at Leopardstown in July but was out of luck when she was tailed off in the Prix Marcel Boussac after her saddle slipped at Longchamp in October.

O'Brien hopes the daughter of Galileo can put the record straight. "She won a Group race at Leopardstown last year, but her saddled slipped in the Boussac and it was a non-event," he said. "She is just ready to start and if she runs a nice race then we have something to look forward to."

Bikini Babe ran in both the UAE 1000 Guineas and Oaks in Dubai during the winter before returning to England for the summer campaign. However, trainer Mark Johnston was not overjoyed with her performance when fourth behind Chabal in the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown but the runner-up Azmeel franked the form when winning the Dee Stakes at Chester last week.

"I wasn't entirely pleased with her run at Sandown. It could have been a bit better though she was up against colts," said the Scot. "She's going into this purely on paper with a bit to find. She's done very little wrong, she's a progressive filly and I've had the Musidora in mind all winter."

Three-year-old winners of the Duke Of York Blue Square Stakes are not seen very often but connections of Showcasing have not been put off the chance for the colt to prove himself a rare commodity. Showcasing's last visit to the Knavesmire earned rave reviews as he took the Gimcrack Stakes.

A fascinating contender among the 11-strong field is Australian Group 1 winner Starspangledbanner, who will be having his first run for O'Brien.

"He is very quick and it will be interesting to see how he gets on," said O'Brien. "I have told Johnny (Murtagh) that he needs to wear a neck brace and a parachute. His top gear is so fast in his homework and I hope he shows us here what he showed in Australia."

Meanwhile, several Investec Derby hopefuls put their credentials on the line in a fascinating renewal of the totesport Dante Stakes at York tomorrow.

The Group 2 contest is generally regarded as the most informative trial for the Epsom Classic with North Light (2004), Motivator (2005) and Authorized (2007) all going on to Derby glory.

A field of six has been declared for the Dante including two unbeaten colts – the O'Brien-trained Cape Blanco and Workforce from Sir Michael Stoute's stable.

They will both be making their seasonal debuts while Godolphin's Chabal has already made his mark by winning the Classic Trial at Sandown.

Coordinated Cut, trained by Michael Bell, is another with winning form this term, while Paul Cole's Circumvent and the David Elsworth-trained Fair Trade make up the sextet.