'It's like she hasn't done anything' – oh so easy for Desert Flower as she completes awesome win in Fillies' Mile

Much has been made of Charlie Appleby looking further afield with his horses this year as he seeks what he believes are the best opportunities for the Godolphin colours to enter the winner’s enclosure.

However, the trainer has insisted time and again that Britain remains at the forefront of his mind when he has something he deems good enough to compete and win.

Desert Flower was deemed good enough and, as such, was tasked by Appleby to try and win him the Group 1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile. Her performance justified her inclusion and then some; she was remarkably good.

Unbeaten in three starts, including the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, when she defeated January, Desert Flower was made odds-on by punters to take her record to four wins from as many starts.

Despite the market confidence, there was a point in the race when she looked in trouble and January was cruising in the clear under Ryan Moore. Such was the confidence the jockey exuded, it looked as if Aidan O’Brien had yet another top-class filly to head into the winter with.

Desert Flower: unbeaten in four startsCredit: Edward Whitaker

However, the key point came as the horses exited the Dip and hit the rising ground. As the ground lifted to meet her feet, Desert Flower became a completely different filly and soared clear. By the line, both she and William Buick were five and a half lengths clear, the largest winning margin since the Fillies’ Mile was moved to Newmarket from Ascot in 2011.

“The team knows her well and they were all very positive coming here today that she would be good enough to run well if she wasn’t too inexperienced,” Appleby said. “We were hopeful going into the May Hill and expected her to run well, but I know some people wanted her to be more impressive than she was. I wasn’t there, but she was harder to manage that day and was taking on Will a bit going to the start. Today she paraded well and everything was much calmer. 

“It’s not often that I get it right, but I said to Will that she’ll jump and travel but from what we’ve seen in the mornings and at Doncaster that she’s still raw and might need some help in the Dip. 

"When he got back, Will said the filly had needed to find her feet in the Dip, but once she hit the rising ground he couldn’t pull her up.”

Buick said he was particularly impressed with how Desert Flower had finished the race, and that he was already looking forward to returning to the Rowley Mile with her next year.

“I was very happy with her throughout the race,” Buick said. “I was happy with how she relaxed and the pace was very even so it was a true test for the fillies today. 

“I was always happy with her and she just needed a little bit of help going down into the Dip, but that can sometimes be the case with horses running here for the first time. 

"I couldn’t have been more happy with how she motored home and she pulled up well into the distance. It was a lovely race to finish on.”

Desert Flower was shortened to 7-2 (from 10) by Paddy Power for next year's Betfred 1,000 Guineas, while William Hill went a step further and made her the 3-1 favourite ahead of Lake Victoria on 7-2.

The winner’s sights would be set on returning to Newmarket for next year’s Classic according to Appleby, who said: “I’d love to see some more condition on her, another 20 kilos over the winter, and then see how she is in the spring. She’s done for the year now.

“I don’t see much point going away from where we are now [in terms of trip]. She’s a nice filly to go into the winter with and we’ll come back in a few months and see where we are. I don’t think you could be more impressed.”

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