Music Show begins on a high note for Fallon

The first day of term, and the lad who has been spending rather too much time in detention – not always justly treated by the beaks – went straight to the top of the class. Some people had imagined that meetings like this one, the first of the new season at Newmarket, would expose a deficiency in Kieren Fallon's resources for a championship challenge. But the success of Music Show in the Leslie Harrison Memorial Nell Gwyn Stakes instead showed that the man ostensibly lacking the Classic fire-power of Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori will be in such demand that his very freedom could create problems of a different kind.

Fallon's main link for the new campaign is with Luca Cumani, who trains one of the leading fancies for the Stan James 1,000 Guineas in Seta. After this persuasive rehearsal for the same race, Fallon initially prevaricated when asked about his likely mount. It was, he suggested, still "early days", and Seta has apparently only "just started" to blossom. But the reality is the Classic is only a fortnight away this Sunday, and he eventually acknowledged – admittedly only by the wry rearrangement of his features rather than explicit words – that so long as Seta runs, he would be riding her.

In fairness, the owner of Music Show, Jaber Abdullah, will first need to see how Lady Of The Desert fares in her own trial, the Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on Saturday. Fallon rides that filly, too, but it is hard to imagine how she could derail Music Show's return here, with extra fitness guaranteed by her trainer, Mick Channon, and the extra furlong likely to suit.

Yesterday Music Show was trapped on the rail at halfway and, after gradually losing her position, was switched round the field to launch her challenge down the middle. Despite the detour, she ran them all down energetically only to tire in front, closed to half a length by Blue Maiden. "Only a couple of weeks ago I was sure this would come too soon," Fallon said. "This has only been a stepping stone, and you'd say there has to be more improvement to come."

Channon added: "She's got very lazy on us this winter, but rather than gallop the life out of her at home I thought we'd bring her here and gallop for some prizemoney. She's always had a lot of class and it's an open Guineas as always. It's not always the best filly that wins, I can tell you that."

Lady Of The Desert, trained by Brian Meehan, has yet to run beyond sprint distances. "She's a different type of filly," Fallon confirmed. "Whereas this one today is a long-striding type, she travels for fun and gives you a great feel. She's working brilliant and if she stays the trip, she'll be the one they all have to beat."

The general assumption was that another fillies' Classic, the Investec Oaks, would be on the agenda for Rumoush after her success in the Blue Square Feilden Stakes over nine furlongs. That owed much to ante post interest for Epsom in Timepiece, who could finish only fourth after running green and meeting traffic in the dip, but the decisive winner showed plenty of speed and would herself warrant respect if dropped back to a mile for the Guineas.

Marcus Tregoning, her trainer, expects her to stay middle distances, and is clearly not averse to the idea of an Oaks trial, but emphasised that his patron, Sheikh Hamdan, may have "his own ideas" and that the Guineas is "not impossible". Winner of a maiden at Lingfield on her debut in November, the Rahy filly is a half-sister to Ghanaati, who won the Guineas for the Sheikh last year. "She's very exciting, whatever happens," Tregoning said. "We did strongly fancy her beforehand, she's had a very good spring. When she came there to lead I thought she'd go right away, but she is still green."

Epsom is unequivocally in mind for Coordinated Cut, who rallied to beat Ameer, the pair six lengths clear, in the Tattersalls Timeform Trophy. Albeit Ameer managed a rather bolder statement of intent than most of Godolphin's first runners off the plane, in recent years, he did hang right once hitting the front and caused Jamie Spencer to snatch up on Coordinated Cut. There might well have been a case for intervention by the stewards but Spencer saved them the trouble, regrouping to force his mount home by a head.

Peter Chapple-Hyam adored this colt last year, but he disappointed in the Racing Post Trophy and was subsequently switched to the care of Michael Bell. His new trainer's instinct now is to send him to the Totesport Dante Stakes at York next month – the same route he took with Motivator, his 2005 Derby winner. "He wouldn't have Motivator's natural gears," Bell admitted. "He'd be a really genuine stayer over a mile and a half. But he has a fantastic temperament, he's a very clean-winded, very clean-limbed horse, very easy to train, and has done nothing but thrive through the winter – as you would expect of a horse with that kind of physique."

Coordinated Cut is 20-1 for the Investec Derby with Totesport. Rumoush is meanwhile 12-1 for the Oaks, and 16-1 for the Guineas, where Special Duty is 7-2 favourite and both Seta and Music Show are quoted 8-1. You pays your money, but it is Fallon who must makes the choice.

* Former jockey Greville Starkey died yesterday aged 70. He won nearly 2,000 races in a 33-year career including the Derby and Irish Derby on Shirley Heights and the Oaks and Irish Oaks on Fair Salinia, but will always be remembered for not winning the 1986 Derby on Dancing Brave.

Turf account: Chris McGrath

Nap

Official Style (5.20 Newmarket) Solid foundations in three starts over 7f last season and, out of a Rainbow Quest mare, can improve beyond his initial rating stepped up in trip. Stable often runs a smart prospect in this.

Next best

Legal Legacy (2.35 Ripon) Progressed in modest handicaps last year and promised more to come when travelling smoothly for a long way on his reappearance in unsuitably soft ground.

One to watch

Having disappeared for over a year, after a brief but promising juvenile campaign, Managua (M R Channon) shaped as though well handicapped when resurfacing at Yarmouth on Tuesday, not given a hard race to retain second behind Sir Michael Stoute's well-backed Bugaku.

Where the money's going

Just Amazing is 20-1 from 33-1 with Paddy Power for the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Sandown on Saturday week.