STAR OF SEVILLE survived a scare to give jockey Frankie Dettori his third victory in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York Racecourse.

The heavily-backed 4-6 favourite was sent straight to the front in the £100,000 mile-and-a-quarter trial for next month’s Epsom Oaks and looked to have buried her four rivals in the closing stakes when kicking a couple of lengths clear.

But with the race all but won, Together Forever, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by a resolute Ryan Moore, made a concerted effort to bridge the gap.

With her rival flying behind, an idling Star Of Seville perked up to secure victory by a head with Dettori believing she simply lost concentration.

He explained: “She’s very talented and I really like her. She showed great courage. She stuck her head up and, just after the furlong marker, she wanted to wait for the other horses for some reason.

“She put the brakes on but she put her head out again and won decisively. She stays well. She is well balanced and I think there is more to come from her.”

On her prospects at Epsom, the jockey, who last won the Musidora in 2004 on board Punctilious, added: “You don’t know how much she has got left. She gives the perception that she has a lot more in the tank.”