Cinderella's Dream
Cinderella's Dream was really impressive in winning the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Sunday. Slowly away and settled in fifth of the five runners early on, there was a little break between her and the other four early on, but she moved up easily to latch onto the back of them a half a mile out, and she made her way through her rivals on the run into the Dip. Still on the bridle two furlongs out, she joined the front rank on the run to the furlong pole without the need for her rider to ask her for her effort but, when he did, her response was impressive. She came right away from her rivals on the run up the hill to win by five lengths in the end, and she probably had more in hand even than that.
It was a really impressive performance in a good race. Maybe Roaring Lion didn't run her race, but it looks like Ekmalka did, last year's Guineas winner who was well backed and who kept on to take second place. The winner's finishing speed of almost 105% suggests that the early pace wasn't overly strong either, and she came from last place at a track that usually favours prominent racers. She was over a second faster than her fastest rival through the final four furlongs. The Godolphin filly was down the field in last year's 1000 Guineas, her previous run in Britain, but she had been in good form on the international stage in the interim, she had won the Belmont Oaks and the Saratoga Oaks in America, and she was an unlucky and fast-finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was just beaten at long odds-on in the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes in Dubai in February, but she was beaten by subsequent Grade 1 winner Choisya. This was a really impressive performance on this, her first run back in Britain, and she should be a potent force now in some of the top class fillies' races in Britain, ideally on good or fast ground. She is versatile too, she could drop back to a mile or she could step up to 10 furlongs. The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is reportedly her long-term aim this season.
Newmarket, 4th May 2025
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