Cinderella’s Dream blooms in Dahlia test

Cinderella’s Dream shone on the Rowley Mile with a neat success in the Betfred Dahlia Stakes.

The bay was one of two Charlie Appleby-trained and Godolphin-owned contenders in the Group Two, and was the chosen ride of William Buick as Ryan Moore partnered Beautiful Love.

As the 11-8 favourite Cinderella’s Dream did not feature prominently in the early stages of the race and had the whole field to pass in the final furlongs, but clearly she was content to bide her time and when asked to go on and win the race, she did so comfortably to prevail by four and a half lengths from Elmalka.

Beautiful Love was a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

Appleby said: "She's a stronger model this year, definitely, that is one thing we have noticed since she came back from Dubai.

"We actually took her out there to do all that but to be honest with you, she didn't really, but she's thrived since she's been back here.

"It was pleasing to see her do that, her work had been very good at home and her lead horse had been Beautiful Love so when she was still there swinging two out, I just thought Will just had to give her the office and she'd quicken away.

"Will said it is not very often you travel into the dip still pulling."

Cinderella's Dream was a Grade One winner in America last year but suffered an unlucky half-length defeat at the Breeders' Cup meeting, a statistic Appleby is eager to right.

He added: "The grand plan is to work back from the Breeders' Cup, she was unlucky in the Filly & Mare Turf last year and that's the target again. She'll probably have one race before it out there.

"Normally we send our fillies out to America but she looks very good, I'm just not that familiar with the programme for them here! I'll go away and have a look, she's beaten some smart fillies today but they'll be more frightened of us wherever she goes I imagine."