Dancing Rain: could make her seasonal debut in Yorkshire Oaks next week

PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos), BY ANDREW SCUTTS & RICHARD BIRCH6:30PM 15 AUG 2012

LAST YEAR’S Oaks heroine Dancing Rain is likely to make her seasonal reappearance at York next week, with connections set to commit the four-year-old at a tilt at the Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

The William Haggas-trained filly, who has not raced since finishing 16th of 18 behind Snow Fairy in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup in Japan last November, missed an intended engagement in Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes last month.

Haggas ran out of time in getting his high-class filly ready for Ascot but said she is likely to run in the Yorkshire Oaks rather than the Juddmonte International, when she would clash with the mighty Frankel.

Speaking on Wednesday, Haggas said: “No final decision has been made yet but we’re planning to run Dancing Rain at York.

“We think it will be in the Yorkshire Oaks, but she is in the Juddmonte, too.

“We tried to get her ready for the King George but it just wasn’t going to happen. York is the next natural step and hopefully she will be a fresh filly for the autumn.”

Dancing Rain has won on surfaces ranging from soft to good to firm and the rain which was forecast to hit the Knavesmire on Wednesday duly arrived at 3pm, with more forecast overnight.

William Derby, York’s chief executive and clerk of the course, said on Wednesday: “It’s good to firm, with a GoingStick reading of 8.9. We have had 3mm so far and are due to get some more.

“We could get 8mm through the night but tomorrow is forecast to be dry, with showers expected on Friday, before it becomes warm and humid over the weekend.

“It’s too early to predict what sort of going we’ll start the meeting on but it was on the quick side earlier today and we haven’t irrigated because we anticipated the rain.”

Excitement about the Ebor meeting will step up a gear on Thursday, when entries and acceptors for the first day of the meeting are made, which features the Juddmonte International and Neptune Investment Management Great Voltigeur.

Frankel, who is likely to face only half a dozen rivals at the most, was eased a point to 1-8 by Bet365 on Wednesday, with the unbeaten wonderhorse a 1-10 shot with Coral.

Racingpost 15/08/2012