Desert Flower seals Classic weekend for Godolphin team

Desert Flower claimed the Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket to maintain her flawless record and continue Godolphin’s remarkable weekend.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who landed the 2000 Guineas with Ruling Court on Saturday, the chestnut was the evens favourite under William Buick.

Buick was hunting for his first success in the race and the duo led the group racing on the far side as a smaller handful challenged up the near side.

Her key rival became Ollie Sangster’s Flight in the final stages, but when Desert Flower met the rising ground she pushed on again and pulled clear of all contenders to prevail by a length. Sangster also saddled the third-placed Simmering.

Appleby said: "It's been an amazing weekend and I'm genuinely such a lucky person. Outside it seems there's huge amounts of pressure, but for me it's enjoyable and to be able to speak to His Highness (Sheikh Mohammed) last night and today and congratulate him on what we've achieved and what's been achieved within Godolphin over in America, it's been a phenomenal weekend.

"As I said to a few people beforehand, I spoke to the team in America this morning and said 'thanks very much lads, you've really tightened the screw a little bit'. I said 'I'm normally the one that's pretty cool'.

"But the filly herself, she's the one that deserves the plaudits today, let's not take it away from her. She's an unbeaten filly, we came here with a lot of confidence as everyone knows and she's gone and delivered and so therefore, it's her day.

"She should stay further and we were pretty confident she will do but we'll let it all settle down and we'll sort it all out in the coming weeks."

Flight appeared to edge ahead at one stage but Appleby added: "I wasn't too worried watching the race, we saw it in the Fillies' Mile and in the May Hill as well, she just goes through those gears.

"At one point, she just looks a little bit sticky but with the dip here, especially on this quicker ground, we knew we would just have to go out and make it (the running).

"I said to get her out, get her into a rhythm and then you're sat comfortably at the top of the dip, that puts them on their heads a bit and they can stumble or find their feet."

Desert Flower is now favourite for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom and Appleby said: "I see no reason why she can't stretch out to the mile and a half, she does all her best work in the last furlong. She settles well, they're nice conversations to be having."

Appleby paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed's enduring enthusiasm for producing and finding Classic calibre competitors around the world.

He added: "The Kentucky Derby has been on the bucket list for 30-plus years, he's had plenty of other goes at it, so to do that has been an amazing feat, but to do what's been done this weekend, that's why he is so passionate about it.

"It's why thankfully each year he just keeps at it, looking for yearlings, looking for two-year-olds, it's amazing. We're having all this success now with the three-year-olds but he's only worried about the two-year-olds because he knows they are the future."

Buick was thrilled to make it a Classic double, adding: "I'm a very happy man. Congratulations to everyone, this means the world.

"To do the Guineas double, the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby and to be a part of it, I just can't put it into words.

"It was incredible. We looked at the race beforehand, me and Charlie spoke and said we thought we'd have to make our own running.

"You saw what a versatile filly she is, we didn't think that would be a problem for her. She's genuine, she's uncomplicated. She gets organised coming out of the dip, hits the rising ground - she's all class.

"She's a beautiful filly and she may even get a little bit further.

"I think she could be (an Oaks filly), that's the race everyone was thinking of beforehand, we'll sit down and make a plan. It's been an amazing weekend for everybody."

Ollie Sangster was "elated" having saddled Flight and Simmering to be second and third respectively behind Desert Flower in the Betfred 1000 Guineas.

Still a relative newcomer to the training ranks, Sangster nevertheless hails from a famous family and came close to adding his name to the roll of honour.

While ultimately just coming up short, he is looking forward to the future with two top-class prospects who outran their 28-1 and 33-1 odds behind the hot favourite, trained by Charlie Appleby.

"We're elated. Second and third is fantastic. Obviously we all want to win, but there was a lot of confidence in the vibes from Godolphin beforehand so we thought the favourite was kind of unbeatable," said Sangster.

"To come so close is a feather in the cap of the two fillies and all the team at home. They were big prices but we were happy with what we had seen at home from them and happy to let them take their chance - and they've shown why today."

Simmering had finished down the field in the Fred Darling on her seasonal bow, while Flight was having her first run of the campaign.

Sangster said: "Everything had gone well for Simmering since Newbury, we kind of put a line through that. Flight's work all along has been very good, she came here for a racecourse gallop during the Craven meeting.

"It's hard to know as you are dealing with the champion filly from last year, but we always felt ours were top-class fillies, as did the jockeys who had been riding them.

"The only thing is it is hard to know when you are competing at the top table, as it is not something we've done a lot of, but we had faith in the fillies.

"It looked like Flight got in front coming out of the dip, it was hard to tell with them being on separate sides.

"It would have been nice if she would have had a bit of company but they've both run exceptionally well.

"We all want to win but to be second and third is fantastic.

"Flight was a little disorganised going into the dip but she came out of it strongly, but as she was on the other side, it was hard to know. They've both run very good races but well done to Charlie and his team."

Of future plans, the trainer added: "For Simmering, a mile will be her max, she likes quick ground. Flight might get 10 furlongs but a nice, strongly-run mile at the Curragh may suit and we'll go for that instead."

For Saeed bin Suroor it was a second big-priced fourth place in a Classic in the last two days, as Elwateen came out best behind the front three.

"The way she works in the morning, she works all the time with Tornado Alert (fourth in 2000 Guineas), she shows her class every time, that is the reason I ran her in a Classic on just her second start," said Bin Suroor.

"The filly is improving and she will improve a lot for this race. The further she goes, the better.

"She will go straight to Epsom for the Oaks, the Musidora is too close.

"I've got two nice hopes for Epsom this year, it's nice to see them run well. From a maiden to a Classic is a big jump, so she's done well, a little bit more give would have helped her too."