Betfred 1000 Guineas |
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| Group 1, Newmarket £525,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m, Class 1  |
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There was a spring in the step of Desert Flower—and perhaps an extra one in the stride of Charlie Appleby too—after the Betfred 1000 Guineas favourite breezed home in a racecourse gallop on the Rowley Mile on April 16.
The unbeaten daughter of Night Of Thunder, already the 11-8 market leader with the sponsors for the May 4 Classic, looked every inch the filly to beat as she put distance between herself and her work partner in effortless fashion. It was her first public outing since storming to Group One success in last year’s Fillies’ Mile, and she showed that time has only added to her power and polish.
Have we just seen the 1000 Guineas winner?
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) October 11, 2024
The unbeaten Desert Flower blows away her rivals to win the @bet365 Fillies' Mile.
Could she be another Classic heroine for @WilliamBuickX and @godolphin pic.twitter.com/akQg8QPZ0l
Appleby, not one to deal in hyperbole, was nonetheless visibly enthused.
“She’s had a great winter,” he remarked, “and I’ve had a few people asking whether she’s been out in Dubai—she’s got that sort of glow to her. Her coat, her condition, her presence—it’s all there.”
And so, it seems, is the engine.
“She’s a very powerful filly now, filled out the right way, and you’d have to say you couldn’t help but be impressed this morning.”
While the turf’s ever-capricious nature can rattle many a contender, Desert Flower appears to have versatility woven into her pedigree and profile.
“The good ones handle anything, and she’s shown she can. She takes a bit of organising between the three and the two—those long levers mean she doesn’t always travel sweetly—but once she hits her rhythm, she’s away. And when she finds that stride, it’s game over.”
The dip at Newmarket has undone many a dream, and Appleby admits he feared the same ahead of the Fillies’ Mile.
“I thought she might lose herself there, and to be fair, she did. But once she levelled out and hit the rising ground, she knuckled down like the real deal.”
Back at the scene of her finest hour, and looking every bit stronger for the winter off, Desert Flower heads into Classic season with a record unblemished and a reputation blossoming.
“As an unbeaten Group One filly,” Appleby added with a smile, “she’s the sort that keeps you dreaming.”
There’s been a shift in the Ballydoyle breeze—Aidan O’Brien has injected fresh momentum into the 1000 Guineas picture with the news that his unbeaten filly, Lake Victoria, might yet take her place at Newmarket.
The Frankel filly was imperious as a juvenile, sweeping all before her in an unbeaten five-race campaign that included top-level triumphs in the Moyglare, Cheveley Park, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf—a hat-trick that marked her out as one of the standout talents of her generation.
3/1 for the 1000 Guineas!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 1, 2024
MV Magnier tells @MCYeeehaaa that Newmarket looks the obvious next target for Lake Victoria after her @BreedersCup triumph... pic.twitter.com/zuAEFLCFdi
Only weeks ago, her spring campaign looked uncertain, O’Brien sounding a note of caution around her readiness for the Rowley Mile. But speaking at a Jockey Club press event on Monday, the master of Ballydoyle painted a brighter picture, suggesting Lake Victoria is making strong late progress in her bid for Classic day.
“Exactly’s already had a run, so she’s the one we’ve been aiming at Newmarket,” O’Brien said, referencing her stablemate. “But Lake Victoria has taken a big step forward—she’s coming. A couple of weeks ago we turned the screw and the response’s been good. She could very well make it.”
And should the unbeaten starlet hit her marks in time, the plan could pivot—with Exactly potentially rerouted to the French Guineas, leaving Lake Victoria to take centre stage at HQ. Failing that, O’Brien has the Athasi Stakes at the Curragh as a backup, but the tone suggested hope—not hesitation.
Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes
(British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£525,000 guaranteed,
15 remaining entries
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 11155- Bedtime Story 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
2 211- Chantez 3 9-2 G M Lyons
3 1- Chantilly Lace 3 9-2 Ralph Beckett
4 1111- Desert Flower 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby
5 4123-1 Duty First 3 9-2 Archie Watson Hollie Doyle
6 1- Elwateen 3 9-2 Saeed bin Suroor
7 2331-2 Exactly 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
8 22133- Flight 3 9-2 Ollie Sangster
9 112 Hey Boo 3 9-2 Jack Channon
10 31- Janey Mackers 3 9-2 David Menuisier
11 11111- Lake Victoria 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
12 4351-9 Merrily 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
13 214- Red Letter 3 9-2 G M Lyons
14 621-3 Remaat 3 9-2 Andrew Balding
15 1124-7 Simmering 3 9-2 Ollie Sangster
