Anapurna impressive in Oaks Trial at Lingfield

John Gosden unveiled yet another top prospect when Anapurna put six lengths between herself and her closest pursuer, Tauteke, in the Listed RaceBets Money Back All Losers Oaks Trial Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield. Soft ground and an extended 11-and-a-half-furlong trip made it a test of stamina for these three-year-old fillies. Frankie Dettori was in the saddle.

The daughter of Frankel (by Galileo) carries the famous black and white colours of Helena Springfield Ltd and is homebred at Meon Valley Stud. She was unplaced in a Wolverhampton maiden on her debut in late December but won easily over ten furlongs at Lingfield a month later and was making her first appearance on turf today.

As one might expect, she holds entries in both the Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom and Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, and she is now among the ante-post favourites for the former after this exciting performance.

A rout! Frankel filly Anapurna wins the @LingfieldPark Oaks Trial for @FrankieDettori and John Gosden… pic.twitter.com/HnhkD4TO4D

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 11, 2019

​Anapurna is a half-sister to the stakes-placed ten-furlong winner Very Dashing (by Dansili) and to Dynasty (by Danehill Dancer), a former Ballydoyle trainee who was short-headed in the Group 3 Tetrarch Stakes nine years ago.

Her dam, Dash To The Top (by Montjeu), won the Listed Hoppings Stakes over ten at Newcastle a couple of months before getting within half a length of beating Punctilious in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks, which came a month before she finished fourth to Shawanda in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille.

The mare's half-sister Dash To The Front (by Diktat) is the stakes-winning dam of Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Speedy Boarding (by Shamardal), and they are out of Millennium Dash (by Nashwan), a daughter of the brilliant miler Milligram (by Mill Reef).

That Timeform 130-rated star was runner-up in both the 1000 Guineas and Irish 1000 Guineas but then an easy winner of the Group 2 Coronation Stakes before becoming one of the rare horses to beat the even more brilliant Miesque, that memorable day coming in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in 1987.

Anapurna, who represents the increasingly popular 3x3 inbreeding to Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer), is a filly of considerable potential and it will be fascinating to see how highly in the rankings she can go. There is every reason to hope that she could be a Group 1 filly in the making.