Desert Flower scores stunning success in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket
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.
Coral cut the winner to 4-1 from 10s for next year’s 1000 Guineas behind 3-1 favourite Lake Victoria.