1000 Guineas: Desert Flower swoops for Newmarket glory for Godolphin under William Buick | Racing News

Desert Flower claimed the Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket to maintain her flawless record and continue Godolphin’s remarkable weekend.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who landed the 2000 Guineas with Ruling Court on Saturday, the chestnut was the evens favourite under William Buick.

Buick was hunting for his first success in the race and the duo led the group racing on the far side as a smaller handful challenged up the near side.

Her key rival became Ollie Sangster’s Flight in the final stages, but when Desert Flower met the rising ground she pushed on again and pulled clear of all contenders to prevail by a length. Sangster also saddled the third-placed Simmering.

Appleby said: “It’s been an amazing weekend and I’m genuinely such a lucky person. Outside it seems there’s huge amounts of pressure, but for me it’s enjoyable and to be able to speak to His Highness (Sheikh Mohammed) last night and today and congratulate him on what we’ve achieved and what’s been achieved within Godolphin over in America, it’s been a phenomenal weekend.

“As I said to a few people beforehand, I spoke to the team in America this morning and said ‘thanks very much lads, you’ve really tightened the screw a little bit’. I said ‘I’m normally the one that’s pretty cool’.

“But the filly herself, she’s the one that deserves the plaudits today, let’s not take it away from her. She’s an unbeaten filly, we came here with a lot of confidence as everyone knows and she’s gone and delivered and so therefore, it’s her day.

“She should stay further and we were pretty confident she will do but we’ll let it all settle down and we’ll sort it all out in the coming weeks.”

Flight appeared to edge ahead at one stage but Appleby added: “I wasn’t too worried watching the race, we saw it in the Fillies’ Mile and in the May Hill as well, she just goes through those gears.

“At one point, she just looks a little bit sticky but with the dip here, especially on this quicker ground, we knew we would just have to go out and make it (the running).

“I said to get her out, get her into a rhythm and then you’re sat comfortably at the top of the dip, that puts them on their heads a bit and they can stumble or find their feet.”

Desert Flower is now favourite for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom and Appleby said: “I see no reason why she can’t stretch out to the mile and a half, she does all her best work in the last furlong. She settles well, they’re nice conversations to be having.”

Appleby paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed’s enduring enthusiasm for producing and finding Classic calibre competitors around the world.

He added: “The Kentucky Derby has been on the bucket list for 30-plus years, he’s had plenty of other goes at it, so to do that has been an amazing feat, but to do what’s been done this weekend, that’s why he is so passionate about it.

“It’s why thankfully each year he just keeps at it, looking for yearlings, looking for two-year-olds, it’s amazing. We’re having all this success now with the three-year-olds but he’s only worried about the two-year-olds because he knows they are the future.”

Buick was thrilled to make it a Classic double, adding: “I’m a very happy man. Congratulations to everyone, this means the world.

“To do the Guineas double, the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby and to be a part of it, I just can’t put it into words.

“It was incredible. We looked at the race beforehand, me and Charlie spoke and said we thought we’d have to make our own running.

“You saw what a versatile filly she is, we didn’t think that would be a problem for her. She’s genuine, she’s uncomplicated. She gets organised coming out of the dip, hits the rising ground – she’s all class.

“She’s a beautiful filly and she may even get a little bit further.

“I think she could be (an Oaks filly), that’s the race everyone was thinking of beforehand, we’ll sit down and make a plan. It’s been an amazing weekend for everybody.”

Cinderella’s Dream blooms in Dahlia test

Cinderella’s Dream shone on the Rowley Mile with a neat success in the Betfred Dahlia Stakes.

The bay was one of two Appleby-trained and Godolphin-owned contenders in the Group Two, and was the chosen ride of Buick as Ryan Moore partnered Beautiful Love.

As the 11/8 favourite Cinderella’s Dream did not feature prominently in the early stages of the race and had the whole field to pass in the final furlongs, but clearly she was content to bide her time and when asked to go on and win the race, she did so comfortably to prevail by four-and-a-half lengths from Elmalka.

Beautiful Love was a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

Appleby said: “She’s a stronger model this year, definitely, that is one thing we have noticed since she came back from Dubai.

“We actually took her out there to do all that but, to be honest with you, she didn’t really, but she’s thrived since she’s been back here.

“It was pleasing to see her do that, her work had been very good at home and her lead horse had been Beautiful Love so when she was still there swinging two out, I just thought Will just had to give her the office and she’d quicken away.

“Will said it is not very often you travel into the dip still pulling.”

Cinderella’s Dream was a Grade One winner in America last year but suffered an unlucky half-length defeat at the Breeders’ Cup meeting, a statistic Appleby is eager to right.

He added: “The grand plan is to work back from the Breeders’ Cup, she was unlucky in the Filly & Mare Turf last year and that’s the target again. She’ll probably have one race before it out there.

“Normally we send our fillies out to America but she looks very good, I’m just not that familiar with the programme for them here! I’ll go away and have a look, she’s beaten some smart fillies today but they’ll be more frightened of us wherever she goes I imagine.”

Falakeyah powers to impressive Pretty Polly triumph

Falakeyah made a huge impression when strolling to victory in the Betfred Pretty Polly Stakes, but trainer Owen Burrows issued a warning over her Oaks prospects.

The Shadwell-owned and bred filly was making the second start of her career and was ridden by Jim Crowley as the 6/4 favourite after winning her sole juvenile race by a wide margin last year.

She took up the lead early on in the contest and strode along happily to gain a significant advantage after a handful of furlongs.

That margin was reduced in the closing stages, but when asked to press on again the imposing bay was well able to respond and claimed an easy win by three-and-a-quarter lengths from Life Is Beautiful.

Burrows said: “You’ve got to be very impressed with her. There was no real plan, we just said see where she ends up as she’s a big filly with a big stride and we didn’t want to be pulling her out of that.

“She ended up setting her own fractions and did it the hard way.

“She’d won her only race on the all-weather, and the form hadn’t worked out. But she’s a well-balanced filly and she’s very exciting.

“We’ll have a chat with Team Shadwell about what to do next. Jim just said a mile and a half might be far enough for her. Put it this way, I wouldn’t be telling anyone to back her for the Oaks just yet.

“She showed us a fair level at home last year and I trained her half-sister Rowayeh, who always promised a lot but she ended up rated in the mid-80s. This filly is showing the same but we hope she delivers on the promise, she’s got more scope and her mind is a bit better.

“She got a bit lonely in front, she was a bit tired which she was entitled to be. I’m just not sure she wants a mile and a half yet, possibly the Prix de Diane.”

Crowley said: “She travelled strongly and I thought she was putting in some good fractions but she was always doing it easily.

“Her maiden didn’t work out at all but she’s been showing good speed, so I said to Owen she might not be one to go too far with just yet.

“She’s a big girl with a big stride and she really covers the ground. I was pleased with how she won today as she’s been showing it at home.”

Story Horse (9/2) stayed on dourly to win the Betfred Handicap for William Knight and Saffie Osborne.

Having been keen enough early, he had to be tough to hold off the determined challenge of Blindedbythelights by a short head.

Knight said: “When we were watching, the owner said ‘this isn’t the plan is it?’

“Saffie said she went through plans B, C and D but he had to be tough at the end there, and that is something you can’t train into them.

“We tried the Cesarewitch last year. That was too far but I think he will get two miles if you can drop him in.”