Pina Sonata bounces back to winning ways in style

Pina Sonata served a reminder of her class when taking the Virgin Bet Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes at Kempton.

James Fanshawe’ four-year-old impressed in modest company at both Wolverhampton and Leicester last term, before being tried in much deeper waters in the Prix Rothschild and then Sandown’s Fortune Stakes without much success.

However, she left those performances behind on her seasonal return, with the 11-2 chance coming home a cosy winner of the Listed contest in the hands of Daniel Muscutt.

Fanshawe said: “When she won her first two starts last year I probably just threw her into the deep end a bit too quick and I think the fact she’s had a nice long break, as a big filly, she’s just grown and built into her frame.

“A winter on her back has done her good and she’s been moving really well and it was a good performance today as I felt it was a strong Snowdrop this year.

“I think it’s great for the owner Mary Slack, as she has bred both her and Sky Safari (Winter Derby winner) who has had a wonderful winter and it’s great to see this filly start off the year this way.”

Fanshawe has previously won the Snowdrop with Captivator (2012) and subsequent Group One scorer Ribbons (2014) and the Newmarket handler has hopes Pina Sonata could tread a similar path to those heights.

He added: “There will be no turning back with her now and that was a really good performance today. It will be staying in deep waters and I’ve had some nice fillies who have won this race before so we could follow a similar route to them.

“We have some dreams but I’m hesitant to go there at the moment!”

Elsewhere at the Sunbury track, Charlie Appleby’s King’s Trail was cut to 20-1 from 25s for the 2000 Guineas by Paddy Power after replicating the Moulton Paddocks handler’s Notable Speech in winning the Virgin Bet/British EBF Conditions Stakes.