Racing with Tom O'Ryan

York going eases Rain has eased the going for the first day of York's opening race meeting of the season tomorrow.

The ground on the Knavesmire is now officially good, good to soft in places.

Midnight Line can follow in the distinguished hoofprints of her former stablemate Reams of Verse by landing tomorrow's Tattersalls Musidora Stakes, the feature race on the first day of York's opening meeting of the year.

Twelve months ago Reams of Verse won this Group 3 contest by 11 lengths before going on to capture the Oaks for Henry Cecil and Kieren Fallon.

Midnight Line is expected to bid for an identical double-header and has the credentials to succeed.

One of last year's leading juvenile fillies, Midnight Line made a sparkling start to the current season when winning the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket by a fluent eight lengths from Leggera.

That performance underlined Midnight Line's ability to sustain a relentless gallop as she struck the front all of three furlongs out and gradually forged clear of her toiling rivals.

Bahr, unbeaten in two races last season and the subject of glowing reports after wintering in Dubai, is the biggest danger to Midnight Line but the Cecil representative will be hard to beat.

Tim Easterby, who introduced a smart juvenile at Beverley yesterday in impressive winner Flanders, has engaged Frankie Dettori to partner Crystal Falls in the opening race, the Yorkshire Life Magazine Handicap.

Previously trained by Jonjo O'Neill, Crystal Falls made a promising debut for Easterby when third on his reappearance, while at Doncaster last week he finished second to Mowelga after meeting serious interference two furlongs out.

Crystal Falls can hit the bullseye this time and initiate a double for Easterby's Great Habton stable, which will also be strongly represented by Pipalong in the EBF Novice Fillies' Stakes.

A runaway winner at Ripon on her debut, Pipalong is held in high regard by her trainer. From a stable in cracking form Pipalong is napped to oblige again in the hands of Lindsay Charnock.

Easterby also has strong claims with Double Action in the Guilbert Ofrex Rated Handicap, a race he won last year with Bollin Joanne, but I prefer Superior Premium, trained by Tim's brother-in-law Richard Fahey.

A Listed race winner last season and third in the Ayr Gold Cup, Superior Premium showed he was coming back to form when chasing home the high-class Carranita at Haydock recently. He can get back in the winning groove here in the hands of stable apprentice Robert Winston.

Les Eyre, who has his horses in fine form, can add to his tally of winners courtesy of Bawsian in the Shepherd Trophy Rated Handicap.

This useful three-year-old has enjoyed a fine start to the season and his winning days have not yet come to an end. He bids to provide Eyre with a notable victory on Knavesmire where, of course, he won last year's Tote Ebor Handicap with Far Ahead.

Middleham trainer Mark Johnston has high hopes that Sinon will develop into a smart stayer this season. This Double Trigger 'lookalike' makes his reappearance in the World Of Racing Exhibition Stakes and should not be underestimated.

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