Joint sales-topper Miss Yoda makes impressive debut at Kempton

Kempton's juvenile fillies' events on Monday afternoon generated plenty of interest with an eyecatching victory by a sales-topper being followed by a more than satisfactory result for Sir Michael Stoute.

Miss Yoda, who is in the care of John Gosden, shared joint billing at last year's BBAG Yearling Sale when she was picked up for €280,000 by Blandford Bloodstock.

By Sea The Stars, she has a rich German pedigree, being out of Monami, who was demoted from first place in a Group 2 at Hoppegarten and has already produced the prolific Sir Mark Prescott performer Matchmaking.

Miss Yoda, who was bred by Gestut Etzean and is now racing for Gestut Westerberg, impressed jockey Rab Havlin as she missed the break only to make giant strides in the final couple of furlongs of the one-mile Matchbook/British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

"She’s a filly that has tended to try to do things back to front at home, i.e. go fast and not finish as fast, so when she jumped slow I just took the opportunity to drop her out and she relaxed after half a furlong," he told Racing TV.

Tom Goff signed for Miss Yoda in Baden-Baden last yearCredit: Sabine Losch/BBAG

"It was a nice performance because we didn’t go fast at all and she's picked up past horses that were quickening. She's a big filly who has a bit of growing to do and a bit of filling into her frame to do."

Half an hour later, Stoute maintained the legacy of one of his most famous fillies in the Matchbook/British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes.

Melnikova is a grand-daughter of Russian Rhythm, who completed a Group 1 hat-trick for Stoute and Cheveley Park Stud in the Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes of 2003, as well as finishing her career by winning the following year’s Lockinge Stakes.

Russian Rhythm produced half a dozen foals before succumbing to colic aged 14, with Stoute training a number of her progeny. They included Safina, who was fourth in the Nell Gwyn as a maiden, won at Chester and had her fourth and final start when finishing third in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot.

Melnikova, who wore down the more experienced favourite Stylistique in the closing stages of the seven-furlong contest, becomes the fifth winner from as many foals out of Safina.

Her best to date has been Marenko, who won the Fred Darling staged at Chelmsford in 2015. Stoute has also provided maiden scorers Panova and Davydenko, while Safina also has an Invincible Spirit yearling ready to represent her.

Stoute trained the first and third home, who were both by Frankel, and Tanita would have made as much of an impression for a newcomer as she was beaten by just two heads.

She is the first foal of Shoal, who won a Nottingham maiden in a brief racing career, but more significantly is from the outstanding Modena line, which includes Reams Of Verse and Elmaamul. Shoal is a full-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Midday, and a half-sister to the likes of Hot Snap and Sun Maiden.

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