Ylang Yang wins Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket for Aidan O'Brien
The daughter of Frankel was sent off 9/2 after her Rockfel third last time, but she reversed the form with Shuwari after a well-run race set up by stablemate Brilliant who made it a proper test.
See The Fire looked the most likely winner coming out of the dip as Brilliant faded, but as the leading fillies gravitated towards the stands' rail it was Ylang Ylang who stormed up the rising ground to land the prize.
Shuwari was second with See The Fire third.
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O’Brien felt her Moyglare run, when she tried to make all, was best forgotten and admitted he did not think the filly was at her best even in victory.
He said: “Obviously the Moyglare went wrong – she ran a bit keen because she’d made the running the first twice, but when her chance was gone Ryan looked after her.
“She came here for a lovely, educational run the last day. Ryan was beautiful on her and said we should come back for this race.
“Because her season got interrupted a bit she wouldn’t have been at her 100 per cent best today. We were kind of coming here more for education for next year than today being the be-all and end-all, but I thought Ryan was really incredible on her.
“She’s classy and very brave and a very exciting filly for next year. She’s done for this season and looking at her today, she’d have no problem starting in a Guineas and could get the Oaks trip.”
Paddy Power cut Ylang Ylang to 10/1 from 33/1 for both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks.
Her stablemate Opera Singer – a five-length winner of the Prix Marcel Boussac – is the 5/1 favourite for the former and the 8/1 market leader for the latter.
Of Opera Singer, O’Brien added: “We saw what she did the last day (in the Boussac) and they’re both very smart fillies.
“Opera Singer is by Justify and when Justifys go past the furlong marker, when they go seven furlongs or a mile, they just take off.”
TIMEFORM VIEW: David Cleary
A finish fought out by a trio that had been beaten at Group 2 level last time out hardly suggests this was a strong running of the premier two-year-old event for staying fillies. Rockfel Stakes third Ylang Ylang turned the tables on the second that day Shuwari, the pair outlasting the May Hill runner-up See The Fire in the final 100 yards. The result pays a compliment to the Rockfel winner Carla's Way, though, unlike the pair she beat, she wouldn't have been nearly so sure to benefit from the extra furlong.
On the other hand, both first and second here were well suited by the step up to a mile. Ylang Ylang in particularly was very served by the extra distance, benefiting from the pace-making efforts of her stable-companion Brilliant and getting on top in the last 75 yards.
Ylang Ylang was a first winner of the Fillies' Mile sent out by Aidan O'Brien since Rhododendron in 2016. However, it's worth pointing out that his beaten runners in between include four classic winners – Mother Earth, Snowfall, Love and Hermosa – as well as the multiple Group/Grade 1 winner Magical. This is evidently a contest where he sends out some of his best prospects.
Ylang Ylang isn't the biggest and she's not the quickest, but there's bundles of stamina in her pedigree and she could well make an impact in a version of the Oaks next summer.
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