"She is one of the smartest fillies that we have seen for a long time" - Kieren Fallon on Godolphin's Epsom runners

Kieren Fallon, who is heavily involved behind the scenes at Charlie Appleby’s yard, is looking forward to seeing the Godolphin-owned pair of

Ruling Court

and

Desert Flower

in this week’s Classics – and believes that Desert Flower has easily the best chance of the two.

Desert Flower heads to Friday’s Betfred Oaks unbeaten in five starts having returned this season with a straightforward success in the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, and Fallon is confident that the Night Of Thunder Filly will have no problem with the half-mile-longer trip.

He told Rishi Persad on Luck On Sunday: “I’ll never forget the first time that I saw her when she was going to Newmarket – she was a standout then. 

“Her work rider has always thought that she’d need a trip. 

“She’s lovely to be around – very sweet – and I’d love to ride her. Of the two (Classic runners) she’d be the standout by a mile.”

Desert Flower will bid to follow in the footsteps of Love who won both the 1000 Guineas and Oaks in 2020, though it is many more years since a filly completed the Fillies’ Triple Crown – which includes the St Leger at Doncaster in September - with Oh So Sharp the last to do so in 1985.

Fallon added: “I'm not going to say she will win because it’s racing and we know what Epsom is like, but she’s a very, very good filly.”

“I think she is one of the smartest fillies that we have seen for a long time. 

“She’s a classy filly. Super classy.”

Fallon was also effusive in his praise for Ruling Court who was only third behind The Lion In Winter when sent off the even money favourite for the Acomb Stakes on his second start last season but has returned an improved horse this year, winning by six lengths on his reappearance at Meydan in March before progressing once again when beating Field Of Gold by half a length in the Betfred 2000 Guineas last month.

Field Of Gold has since come out and franked the form with success in the Irish equivalent, while the fifth home Wimbledon Hawkeye also gave the Newmarket form a boost when finishing third in the Dante Stakes at York on his next start, and Fallon is looking forward to the colt’s bid for the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Fallon explained: “I didn’t know a whole lot about him as a two-year-old as I focus on the older horses, but we were surprised when he was beaten in the Acomb.

“He was a difficult ride last year – his rider Michael Metcalfe has done a brilliant job with him – and now he’s like a mouse.

“Charlie [Appleby] has him where he wants him now – it's all systems go – and the best trial has always been the Guineas.

“There wasn’t a lot between the two of ours in the Guineas and William [Buick] gave him a brilliant ride when he kicked. The Rowley Mile is such a hard track to ride because you have to know when to kick and when to sit.

Like Desert Flower, Ruling Court is stepping up significantly in trip, however Fallon believes that the horse won’t be beaten because of the extra distance on Saturday.

He explained: “He’s bred to stay and the only worry I would have had would have been if it was a big field with lots of dead wood in it.

“You’ll need to switch him off but he’ll either get the trip or he won't, and you will probably want to be handy, saving ground on the inside as it all opens up in the straight - what I used to call the Lester Piggott position.”