Snow Fairy Out at York and Heading to Deauville

The Darley Yorkshire Oaks is now without a headliner as Ed Dunlop-trained Snow Fairy was pulled out at the 24 hour mark. Connections pointed to the going as the reason why they made the last minute switch. The multiple Group 1 winning globetrotting filly was commanding a very respectable price with the bookmakers in the build-up to the York Thursday feature.

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The new direction appears to point to the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet, which is set to run at Deauville on Sunday. She will be facing off against up to seven other rivals and the big challenge looks like it will come from Sir Henry Cecil's Timepiece.

Speaking to the media, Dunlop declared “Snow Fairy is not going to run. It's based on what the jockeys have reported about the going. It would be a mile and a half on soft ground and we are going to go to Deauville on Sunday instead.”

The Darley Yorkshire Oaks remains a fantastic contrast between some of the stand-out older mares competing on the global stage taking on the cream of the crop of this year's three-year-old graduating class.

The 1000 Guineas winner Blue Bunting is set to line up for Godolphin with Frankie Dettori in the irons. As it currently stands, the three-year-old Al Zarooni-trained filly is trading as the betting favourite with bookmakers pricing her around 11/4 with the next best-priced selection being Crystal Capella, who lines up for Sir Michael Stoute's yard. The six-year-old trades at a 7/2 listing.

The Lowther Stakes, a Group 2 contest for fillies, is the headline on the undercard and is set to run at a 6f distance.