England: Desert Flower marks herself a 1000 Guineas contender with Fillies' Mile victory

The way Desert Flower bounded away from January on a Friday in October made the filly look like a horse to watch in May.

Desert Flower, a Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby, won the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket by 5 1/2 lengths, running her record to four wins from four starts and vaulting to second favorite with British bookmakers for the 1000 Guineas on May 4.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien sent out the second, third, and fourth-place finishers Friday, Ballet Slippers and pacesetting Dreaming following home January, and also trains the early 1000 Guineas favorite, Lake Victoria, another 4-for-4 filly following her smart Sept. 28 victory in the Group 1 Cheveley Park.

William Buick, aboard the winner, said going downhill into Newmarket’s famed “dip” more than halfway into the straight mile course, took Desert Flower by surprise. But once his mount hit the uphill portion of the course leading to the finish, she got her legs fully beneath her, quickly opening daylight on January, who had cruised to the lead with a quarter mile to run.

The first four, judging from their connections post-race comments, are done racing for the year.

Desert Flower is by Night of Thunder out of Promising Run, by Hard Spun. She began racing in July, started in August, September, and October, and at the end of a successful campaign appears to be a serious player for spring Classics.

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