With The Moonlight shines brightly in Pretty Polly Stakes

With The Moonlight threw her hat into the ring for the G1 Oaks with a convincing victory in the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket, UK, on Sunday, 1 May.

Stepping up to a mile and a quarter for her three-year-old return, the full-sister to Dream Castle was quickly into her stride and soon tracked Cet Horizon in second of the seven-strong field.

With The Moonlight hit the front inside the final half-mile and galloped out powerfully, with William Buick easing the Charlie Appleby-trained filly close home for a near five-length success.

Charlie Appleby said: “With The Moonlight had a nice profile as a two-year-old and we felt that racing over a mile and a quarter at this stage of her career was the way forward. The race fell apart slightly but William [Buick] said he was very pleased with the way she saw it out through the line.

“She is most definitely in the Oaks picture, although we have all these trials going on over the next 10 days. I don’t think anyone would like to pigeonhole a horse into a race until we have seen how the trials pan out.

“The one thing that encourages me is that William said she travelled so well. The one thing you do have to do around Epsom is travel and it’s a race that we will take strongly into consideration.”

William Buick added: “The race fell apart a little because we went slow and I expected a bit more of a sprint to the line from the others, but I got With The Moonlight out in the clear early and she galloped along well.

“The question mark is whether she will get a mile and a half but, off that strong performance, you would say there is a chance.”