The filly Musidora won the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks in 1949. Considering she won two classics it’s odd that she only won two of her other ten races. Trained at Malton by Charles Elsey, she was no more than above average as a juvenile, winning once from six starts. At three she improved to win at Stockton and then beat 17 opponents in the Guineas with ease. Musidora had to work harder to win the Oaks, which she did by a neck. She was unplaced in her next three races and then retired to the paddocks.
Her dam’s sire was Gainsborough, the 1918 Triple Crown winner. The original Musidora was a nymph in Greek mythology – the subject of the artist Gainsborough’s only nude. Another Musidora was a famous French film star in the silent era whose real name was Jeanne Roques. Her fame was principally through playing a villainous cabaret singer of vampirish appearance. She also wrote and directed films.
The Musidora Stakes was first run at York in 1961. The mile and a quarter test is one of the best Oaks trials these days. It’s a Group 3, but a fair number of winners in recent years have gone on to exceed that class. Eight fillies have gone on to win the Oaks, the latest being Soul Sister in 2023.
Sources include:
The Long Road from Portman Square (Ian Carnaby), p181