Darley Oaks option open to Surf

Roger Varian will decide closer to the race whether Shimmering Surf will make a quick reappearance in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks after her fine run in France on Saturday.

The four-year-old filly finished second to Andre Fabre’s La Pomme D’Amour, owned by Yorkshireman Guy Reed, in the Prix de Pomone at Deauville.

She previously ran into subsequent Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens in the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock, to whom she was conceding nearly a stone.

“I was really pleased with her performance and she’s come out of the race well,” said Varian.

“I wouldn’t rule out the Yorkshire Oaks yet, but she’s by no means a definite as it comes up in just 10 or 11 days’ time and she had a hard race.

“We’ll leave her in at the forfeit stage and have a look what the race looks like. We’ve got one eye on it rather than two.

“It’s tough for four-year-old fillies when these races are opened up to the three-year-olds. We weren’t sure what we were taking on in Great Heavens at Haydock and trying to give her 13lb was an impossible task.

“Who knows how good Andre Fabre’s filly could turn out to be, too. Our filly beat the rest easy enough.

“It makes it tough for her, we’ve won a Group Three with her which I’m glad about and we hope to add to that at some stage.”