THERE was lots of Oaks talk after the Musidora Stakes at York on Wednesday. And why wouldn’t there be? The Musidora is a good Oaks trial.

Admittedly only one Musidora winner has followed up in the Oaks in the last decade (Sariska, 2009), but there have been lots of pointers in that time. Alexandrova was a close-up second in the Musidora in 2006 before she went and won the Oaks by six lengths, while The Fugue won the Musidora in 2012 and was a running-on third in the Oaks, beaten a total of three quarters of a length.

Interestingly, the winner and the runner-up in Wednesday’s Musidora, Star Of Seville and Together Forever, both had their odds cut the Oaks snipped by a couple of points.

Of the pair, however, Together Forever may be the better Oaks prospect. Star Of Seville stayed on gamely in front after making all the running, but she only got home by a head from Aidan O’Brien’s filly, who was conceding 4lb and who hadn’t had the benefit of a run this season.

Together Forever had never raced beyond a mile before Wednesday, and she has to prove her stamina for the Oaks trip. Plus she is a half-sister to Lord Shanakill, who recorded four of his five wins over six and seven furlongs.

However, Lord Shanakill also got a mile, he won a Prix Jean Prat and he finished a close-up third in a St James’s Palace Stakes. Also, Lord Shanakill is by speed influence Speightstown, Together Forever is by Galileo, and when you are by Galileo you have a chance of getting a trip. Any trip. Interestingly, there are many similarities between Together Forever and Alexandrova, besides the Aidan O’Brien and Magnier/Tabor/Smith connection.

By Sadler’s Wells, Alexandrova was beaten on her first two runs, and she rounded off her juvenile season by going down by just a short head in the Fillies’ Mile. By Sadler’s Wells’ son Galileo, Together Forever was beaten on her first three runs, and she rounded off her juvenile season by winning the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.

They both finished second in the Musidora Stakes on their respective debuts at three. Alexandrova won the Oaks. Complete the sequence.