Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted October 11, 2024 Journalists Posted October 11, 2024 Taking another step forward from her G2 May Hill Stakes success, Godolphin's Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}–Promising Run, by Hard Spun) emphatically established herself at the head of the pecking order among the stronger-staying juvenile fillies of 2024 in Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. Having mastered Ballydoyle's January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) by 1 1/2 lengths at Doncaster last month, the Charlie Appleby-trained TDN Rising Star made it 5 1/2 this time as she opened up with the rising ground to the line bringing out her superior stamina. Settled behind Aidan O'Brien's other runners Dreamy (Ire) (American Pharoah) and Ballet Slippers (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) by William Buick, the 10-11 favourite looked second choice to come up with the goods moving to two out as Ryan Moore sat pretty on January. Drawing alongside to take control soon after, it was quickly evident that Desert Flower had what it takes and her final-furlong tour de force saw to it that she boasts the widest winning margin in this race since it was switched to Newmarket. January paid the price for putting it up to the winner, finishing tired a half-length ahead of Ballet Slippers. “I'm not usually right, but I did say to William beforehand that the way she conducts herself in the mornings, don't be surprised if she gets lost in that dip and that was the way it played out,” Appleby said of the impressive winner, who will be up against another Rosegreen obstacle in Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) back over this course and distance next May. “She's still very raw, but once she hit the rising ground he struggled to pull her up. She was a bit of a handful at Doncaster and challenged herself that day, but I was happy with the way she paraded today and hopefully she'll be a more mature filly in the spring.” “She is scopey, but won't take much to get fit then–she hasn't put a kilo on since midsummer–so I don't see any reason why she can't go straight to the Guineas,” he added. “We'll see what she does in the winter, but she's kept pleasing us all the way. She's not an exciting filly in the morning, but it's the way she does stuff and the way she pulls up that gives you encouragement.” A in the making The unbeaten bolts up in the @bet365 Fillies' Mile.@godolphin | @WilliamBuickX pic.twitter.com/JY2w0ZGtIG — Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 11, 2024 The post Night Of Thunder’s Desert Flower Dominates The Fillies’ Mile For Godolphin appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote
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