John Gosden Lands Ninth Musidora with Legacy Link

Last Wednesday saw the north’s premier racecourse open its doors for another season. Held over three days, the opening Dante Festival remains one of York’s flagship events. While the Day 2 highlight of the Dante Stakes sees a field of talented colts lay their Derby credentials on the line, the Day 1 spotlight belonged to the fillies.

Oaks Hopefuls Line Up in Musidora Stakes

Taking place over the same 1m2½f course and distance as the Dante Stakes and restricted to three-year-old fillies, the Musidora Stakes is a key stepping stone for those with an eye on Epsom Oaks glory.

Named in honour of the Yorkshire-based filly who won the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks in 1949, the Musidora Stakes first appeared on the York programme in 1961. Since that inaugural edition, eight winners have gone to claim the Epsom Oaks, with the John & Thady Gosden-trained Soul Sister the most recent to complete the double in 2023.

Invariably attracting a high-quality field of regally bred sorts, the 2026 edition looked well up to scratch and delivered a pulsating renewal. In the end, the prize fell to a filly with one of the most eye-catching pedigrees in training and saw one legendary Newmarket trainer join another at the top of the all-time Musidora Stakes trainers’ table.

Filly with Links to Frankel Books Epsom Ticket

	Horse	SP	Jockey	Trainer
1st	Legacy Link	6/4 F	Colin Keane	John & Thady Gosden
2nd	Felicitas	5/2	Kieran Shoemark	Ed Walker
3rd	K Sarra	20/1	Rossa Ryan	Ralph Beckett
4th	Moments Of Joy	11/4	Ryan Moore	A P O’Brien
5th	Sea The Storm	9/1	Tom Marquand	William Haggas

A small field of five went to post in 2026. However, with those runners hailing from the yards of Aidan O’Brien, John & Thady Gosden, William Haggas, Ralph Beckett, and Ed Walker, there were no obvious weak links among the quintet.

By Justify and out of a Galileo mare, Moments Of Joy is bred along similar lines to 2025 Derby winner City Of Troy and sought to hand O’Brien a third Musidora Stakes success. As a full sister to 2025 Dante Stakes winner, Pride Of Arras, Ralph Beckett’s K Sara also caught the eye on paper, while Sea The Storm and, in particular, Felicitas, had scored in fine style last time out.

Solid credentials wherever you looked in this year’s field, but it was the John & Thady Gosden filly, Legacy Link, who started as the clear 6/4f with Colin Keane in the saddle. While successful only once in three starts at two, this Juddmonte-owned filly caught the eye when staying on well for fourth in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket. Taking a few strides to get to grips with the dip that day, the way she hit the line suggested that she may improve for this step up in trip.

That Fillies’ Mile effort was the standout piece of form ahead of the race, but what makes Legacy Link particularly interesting is her pedigree. Sire Dubawi is long established as one of the most reliable producers of Group 1 stars. Dam, Chiasma, meanwhile, is by Galileo and out of Kind – making her a full sister to the greatest racehorse of all time, the mighty Frankel.

Career Best Effort on Seasonal Return

Having ticked the form and pedigree boxes, Frankel’s niece showed guts and class to start her season on a high. Travelling much the best into the straight, jockey Keane kicked Legacy Link into the lead at the 2f pole and immediately looked to have the measure of Moments Of Joy, Sea The Storm, and K Sara. However, Ed Walker’s Felicitas didn’t lie down so easily, sparking a prolonged duel between the pair on the run to the line.

Try as she might, Felicitas couldn’t master Legacy Link, who found a second wind close home to score by three-quarters of a length. Giving the impression that she may improve for the outing, this Musidora Stakes success marked a clear career best, as Legacy Link confirmed herself as a genuine Oaks contender.

Win Number Nine for Gosden

First successful with the Pat Eddery-ridden Marilette in 1993, this marked John Gosden’s ninth win in the Musidora Stakes, seeing him draw level with Sir Henry Cecil at the top of the all-time trainer’s table.

Standout names among Gosden’s previous Musidora heroines include 2023 Oaks winner Soul Sister, Emily Upjohn, who finished second in the 2022 Oaks, before going on to win the British Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes and Coronation Cup; and The Fugue, who won four times in Group 1 company.

How Legacy Link measures up to aforementioned trio remains to be seen. However, John Gosden was understandably pleased with this effort, stating in the aftermath:

“She came through to win her race and having not had a run, she needed a second wind. It was a great battle between two very nice fillies, and she was well on top. She showed a lot of courage. For her first run, it was a big run.”

With stablemate I’m The One ruled out of Epsom following her defeat in the Cheshire Oaks, this display came along at just the right time for the Gosden operation. A general price of 8/1 before the race, Legacy Link is now as short as 3/1 for the Epsom Classic on Saturday, 6 June.