Betfred Dahlia Stakes |
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| Fillies' Group 2, Newmarket 14:20 £125,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 1f, Class 1  |
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1 Cinderella's Dream 11/8F
2 Elmalka 5/2
3 Beautiful Love 11/1
5 ran Distances: 4½l, ¾l, 1¼l
Time: 1m 50.29s (slow by 1.39s)
A dream win! 🪄
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 4, 2025
Cinderella's Dream is a very impressive winner of the Betfred Dahlia Stakes! 🥇#ITVRacing | @NewmarketRace | @WilliamBuickX | @godolphin pic.twitter.com/jXjHoV8SJ6
There was a touch of theatre on the Rowley Mile as Cinderella’s Dream cast her spell, announcing her return to British soil with a performance of quiet menace and clinical class.
The daughter of Shamardal, one of two in the Godolphin blue for Charlie Appleby, was the pick of William Buick—his decision to desert Beautiful Love in favour of the bay mare telling its own story. Ryan Moore took the reins on the stablemate, but it was Buick who would strike gold in the Group Two test.
Sent off the 11-8 favourite, Cinderella’s Dream was in no hurry. Settled well off the early pace, she had the full field in front of her turning into the dip. But there was no panic—Buick waited, waited… and then delivered. Asked the question two furlongs out, the response was immediate and emphatic. She surged past them all with barely a flicker of effort, skipping away to win by a widening four and a half lengths from Elmalka, with Beautiful Love back in third.
“She’s just that much stronger this year,” Appleby reflected. “Dubai didn’t quite go to plan but she’s thrived since she came home. Her work’s been electric—and Beautiful Love’s been leading her at home, so when they were both there swinging two out, I knew Will just had to give her the office.”
Buick himself was left impressed: “It’s not often you’re still pulling into the dip at Newmarket.”
A Grade One winner already in America, Cinderella’s Dream was narrowly denied glory at last year’s Breeders’ Cup. That’s the long-term aim once again—and Appleby’s not hiding his intent.
“We’re working back from the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was unlucky last year and we’d love another crack. We’ll look at one more run before then—possibly Stateside. Normally we send them over there, but with her, maybe they should be worried about us wherever she turns up.”
Dahlia Stakes (Fillies' Group 2)
£125,000 guaranteed, 1m 1f, 4yo+, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good to Firm
POS. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (1) Cinderella's Dream 4 9-2 Charlie Appleby William Buick 11/8F
2 (3) 4½ Elmalka 4 9-2 Roger Varian Silvestre De Sousa 5/2
3 (4) ¾ Beautiful Love 4 9-2 Charlie Appleby Ryan Moore 11/1
4 (2) 1¼ Secret Satire 4 9-2 Andrew Balding Rossa Ryan 22/1
5 (5) 1½ Running Lion 5 9-2 John & Thady Gosden Oisin Murphy 3/1
