Cinderella’s Dream unleashes powerful late kick in classy Saratoga Oaks victory
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even as she was winning races in England last year and Dubai earlier this year, Cinderella’s Dream still had a lot to learn.
It appears Cinderella’s Dream is a good study.
For the second time in four weeks, Cinderella’s Dream unleashed a powerful stretch kick under jockey William Buick that carried her from near the back of the pack to the front Friday, pulling away from Kathynmarissa in the final sixteenth to win the Grade 2, $400,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational by 1 1/2 lengths.
Kathynmarissa, under Frankie Dettori, made the front in upper stretch, and finished second by three lengths over Dancing N Dixie. Movin’ On Up and pace-setting Macagna completed the order of finish.
There were two key scratches as Segesta (bruised foot) and Greenfinch (foot abscess) both came out.
“It became easier,” trainer Charlie Appleby said when asked how the race changed with those defections.
Racing seems to be coming easier now for Cinderella’s Dream, who had her quirks earlier in her career, according to Appleby.
“She’s very much becoming more of a professional filly now,” Appleby said. “She’s had her quirks. In England, she wouldn’t be the most forward going into the gates and stuff like that.”
For Buick, who is now 5 for 5 on Cinderella’s Dream, the biggest change he’s seen is the 3-year-old filly’s closing kick. It was something he first felt in the Belmont Oaks at Aqueduct when Cinderella’s Dream rallied from eighth in a nine-horse field to win by three-quarters of a length.
“I was impressed with her Belmont Oaks. She did something I didn’t expect, but now she’s confirmed it again,” Buick said. “She’s an improving filly. She’s got a great cruising speed and a great turn of foot.”
With the field down to five Friday – there were eight in the Belmont Oaks – the early pace of the Saratoga Oaks was a full second slower than it was at Aqueduct. Buick had Cinderella’s Dream last, but only four lengths off the pace. When he got Cinderella’s Dream into the clear turning for home and he asked her to run, the filly responded by rallying past her four rivals.
“The pace was a bit messy – it was slow – and Johnny [Velazquez on Macagna] opted to stay off the fence and Frankie nipped up the inside and made a race of it, but I was always comfortable with my filly,” Buick said. “I never really had a moment’s worry. She responds so quickly to anything I ask her.”
Cinderella’s Dream, a daughter of Shamardal owned and bred by Godolphin Racing, is now 6 for 7 in her career, and covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.92 and returned $2.60.
Appleby said Cinderella’s Dream would be considered for the Grade 1, $750,000 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine on Sept. 14 and/or the Grade 1, $750,000 Queen Elizabeth at Keeneland on Oct. 12.
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