Aviate claims Musidora for Cecil Aviate finished with a rattle to give Henry Cecil his ninth success in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York. Sent off at 11-4 following success at Ascot last month, the Dansili filly travelled strongly throughout in the hands of Eddie Ahern but was boxed in behind the leaders heading inside the final two furlongs. Outsider Gold Bubbles looked the likely winner when striking the front inside the final furlong but once the gap came, Aviate showed an electric turn of foot to get up right on the line to score by a head. Ahern said: "When they quickened I was in a little bit of trouble, but most of the trouble was I wasn't getting the gaps and I had to sit and suffer for a long time. "She got me out of a lot of trouble because I'd have got a lot of stick if she'd got beat. "I switched her back onto the inside and she quickened really well. "After that you'd think she'll stay further." Cecil added: "We ran her to see if she stays but she's got a cross of Nijinsky on both the sire and dam side, so there was a bit of stamina there. "It looks as if she'll stay (in the Oaks). I was hopeful she would otherwise I would have run in the race over a mile here later in the week. "I wanted to see if she'd stay to see if we could go for a French Oaks, an English Oaks, an Italian Oaks or any other Oaks. "We don't know if she'll go to Epsom yet. "It's difficult to say, she's a nice filly but you couldn't see how good she was because she didn't get a clear run, what they should have done was spread out to let her come through - then we'd have seen what she really was!" The runner-up's jockey Kevin Manning said: "She ran a great race and I'm very happy with her." Eleanora Duse stayed on well to finish third and her trainer Sir Michael Stoute added: "I'm thrilled with that as she's got some black type. "She's from a lovely Ballymacoll Stud family, so they'll be very pleased with me."
