skip to main content

Desert Flower leaves Fillies' Mile rivals in the shade

Updated / Friday, 11 Oct 2024 17:28
Desert Flower has been been slashed for next year's 1000 Guineas and the Oaks
Desert Flower has been been slashed for next year's 1000 Guineas and the Oaks

Desert Flower stamped her class on the bet365 Fillies' Mile with a stunning success at Newmarket.

Unbeaten in her previous three races, Charlie Appleby’s filly took her form to another level in the Group One feature.

Perhaps not to the liking of everyone when taking the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, Aidan O’Brien fielded three very highly-regarded fillies against her, with Ryan Moore choosing January, a length and a half behind the winner on Town Moor.

Heading into the dip as Dreamy, another O’Brien inmate, dropped away, there were still three in contention, the Ballydoyle pair of Ballet Slippers and January and the eventual winner, who at the time just looked a bit unbalanced.

When they met the rising ground, though, the race was over, and as William Buick straightened her out she powered away, with the 10-11 favourite running out an impressive five-and-a-half-length winner from January.

Appleby said: "You couldn't be any more impressed and of course at Doncaster when you have an unbeaten filly going into a May Hill everyone was expecting a bit of a 'wow’.

"She was harder to manage – going down to post she took William on, I wasn’t there that day and Alex Meriam (assistant) and the team did a great job, but she took some managing.

"William wasn’t sure what sort of filly he was going to have that day but once she jumped off in the race and he popped her in behind one, ultimately she switched off and did it the right way round."

He went on: "Today I thought she paraded very well and everything was nice and calm and collected. It is always nice at this level to control all that energy. She will be a more mature filly for this in the spring.

"She is a filly who has pleased us, we were confident in her maiden and she has just kept pleasing us throughout. She’s not an exciting filly in the morning, but the way she does stuff and pulls up at the end of a gallop, it is as if she hasn’t been through a gallop.

"She won’t go five-lengths clear in a gallop but she will go a length ahead of a nice lead horse, pull up and walk home and that gives you encouragement. The team were very positive coming into today that if she was good enough she had done everything right at home.

"I think we’ve all seen her going round the paddock and she is a big, scopey filly, if she puts another 20 kilos on over the winter I will be delighted to see her in the spring. She hasn’t got to and she’s running well enough in the condition she is in, but naturally you would love to see her put a bit of condition on over the winter.

"That is definitely her done for the year. I don’t see much point going away from where we are at the moment (a mile) next season. Could she stretch out to 10 furlongs? Possibly. She’s a nice horse to go into winter with and we will be back in the spring."

Aidan O'Brien’s second-string Merrily caused an upset in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes.

With Ryan Moore choosing to ride Ecstatic in the Group Three contest, Wayne Lordan stepped in for the mount on Merrily, who despite showing useful form in her five previous races seemingly had her limitations exposed.

The market concentrated on Ralph Beckett’s Cathedral, impressive winner of her only outing to date, and Ollie Sangster’s Flight, who had run well in the May Hill last time out.

With two furlongs left to run Flight appeared to be travelling very strongly indeed for Oisin Murphy on her drop in trip, but Cathedral was also beginning to hit top gear for David Egan in the Amo Racing silks.

As they began to meet the rising ground Cathedral was getting on top of Flight, but on her outside Merrily came with a sweeping run and readily accounted for the better-fancied filly to win by half a length at 25-1. Flight was over three lengths away in third.

O’Brien said: "She was very unlucky in Goodwood, she had to kind of jump two or three hurdles up the straight there and Declan (McDonogh) thought she was very unlucky.

"Wayne rode her the last day and thought it all went wrong then for him too, and he didn’t get any cover and she did too much. That’s why she was here.

"She’s a fine, big filly and Wayne gave her a lovely ride today. She won very nicely and I think she is a Guineas filly now, looking at her. It will be interesting as she is a big, rangy filly with lots of class and she handles dig in the ground.

"We can at least train her for a Guineas trial now and see how we go."

Coto De Caza just held off Irish challenger Grande Marques to win the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes.

Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, the Sioux Nation filly had been a beaten favourite when third in a Listed Harry Rosebery at Ayr.

She was one of only three in this Group Three prize who raced down the near side, led by the speedy River Seine, and with over a furlong to run Harry Davies sent 13-2 shot Coto De Caza into the lead.

However, Fozzy Stack's Grande Marques, who went close in the Firth of Clyde at Ayr, broke out of the bigger group on the far side and threw down a huge challenge.

The pair were separated almost by the width of the track, although there was only three-quarters of a length between them at the line. Kullazain outran his odds to finish third but favourite Midnight Thunder disappointed.

Ed Crisford said: "She did that really well and travelled superbly. She came down the stands side and it was hard to know if she was in front or not, but she’s a talented filly and she did it very gamely in the end.

"At Ayr, she just jumped a bit slow and the race got away from her a little bit. She made her ground from the two-furlong pole to the one and by the time she got to the winning line, she had sort of tired a bit.

"She’s a talented filly and it’s just about keeping the lid on her really, as she’s highly strung. If we can keep the lid on her, then she can put up performances like that."

Topgear made the journey from France to Newmarket thoroughly worthwhile in running out a wide-margin winner of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes.

Now trained by Christopher Head having spent his formative years with Fabrice Chappet, he is developing a reputation as a real seven-furlong specialist.

Head was one of only a few French trainers to hold their own at Longchamp last weekend and no doubt if he did not have the eventual winner of the Prix de la Foret in the impressive Ramatuelle, Topgear would have run in that race instead.

Heavily backed close to the off to make him go off the 3-1 favourite, Stephane Pasquier could be spotted some way out going best of all.

Royal Scotsman ploughed a lone furrow on the rail for Jamie Spencer, running a thoroughly admirable race, getting closest to the superb winner, but was still beaten by five and a half lengths.

Stuart Williams' prolific winner Quinault ran another big race, leading the field into the dip, but he had no answer to Topgear and finished third.

"Stephane said he is not blowing a candle and he is a very nice horse. I am pleased to see his progress," said Head.

"It is incredible to train for the owner Mr Saito, he has been in the stable since the beginning of this year and I am so happy to win today for him. I hope there will be many, many other wins across Europe.

"He has always been full of speed and we overtried him over the mile. We are now sure he is better at this distance, so we will keep him at that and we will now have a strong discussion about next season’s programme."

Verse Of Love made a striking impression on her debut when running out a most impressive winner of the Godolphin Under Starters Orders Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

Charlie Appleby’s youngster had clearly been working well at home as she was sent off the 2-1 favourite among a field of 15, but even her connections might have raised an eyebrow at this performance.

The field split into two groups with Ryan Moore leading on the near side on Head To Head while the winner’s stablemate Wild Angel, who had the benefit of two previous runs, was prominent on the far side.

William Buick was content to follow his stable companion until going into the dip when Verse Of Love – a daughter of Siyouni – effortlessly moved upsides before powering clear.

Without Buick having to work too hard the winning distance was five lengths giving Godolphin a one-two, with Luna Girl back in third.

The winner was introduced into next year’s 1000 Guineas betting at 16-1 by Paddy Power.

David Egan delivered Hughie Morrison’s Sun God (11-2) with a withering late burst to catch Mount Atlas late on and win the bet365 Old Rowley Cup Handicap in fine style.

The closing Newmarket Pony Academy Pride Stakes went to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-winning combination of Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan with Lady Boba.

Sent off at 5-1, she was winning for the first time this season and had finished behind Sound Angela last time out in Listed company at Yarmouth.

This time the tables were turned, with Sound Angela a length back in second.

More stories on

Read Next