Charlie Appleby impressed with racecourse gallop from Desert Flower

Charlie Appleby declared himself impressed after seeing his Betfred 1000 Guineas favourite Desert Flower put through her paces in a racecourse gallop at Newmarket on Wednesday morning.

The Night Of Thunder filly is the 11-8 favourite with the sponsor for Classic glory on May 4 after winning each of her four juvenile runs, culminating in Group One glory in the Fillies’ Mile last October.

Back on the Rowley Mile for her morning work, Desert Flower came home clear of her galloping companion, with Appleby enthusiastic about her Guineas chance.

He said: “She’s done great, she’s had a great winter and a few people have asked me whether she’s been in Dubai as she has a great skin on her.

“Physically she’s done very well, she’s a very powerful filly and you couldn’t not be impressed by her this morning.

“Those good horses can go on any ground, she’s shown that versatility and hopefully we get a clear run.

“She’s a funny filly in that if you were betting on her in running, from the three to the two furlong pole you’d be getting a little bit twitchy because she’s a big filly and takes a little bit of organising, but once she organises herself and finds that stride and that rhythm she sees it out.

“Before the Fillies’ Mile I thought she might just lose herself in the dip and she did, but once she hits the rising ground she’s away. She did it that day and I feel she’s done it again today.

“When you’ve got those unbeaten fillies they’re always exciting and she’s a Group One-winning filly.”

Desert Flower was joined in the racecourse action by Appleby’s 2000 Guineas entries Shadow Of Light and Ruling Court, along with the four-year-old Notable Speech.

The Dubawi colt won five of his seven starts last year, making the leap to Group One glory in the Guineas before adding further top-level success in the Sussex Stakes.

He disappointed on soft ground in the Prix du Moulin but finished his year with a fine third back on quicker conditions in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, with Appleby looking towards the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, although the going would have to be suitable if he is to reappear next month.

The Godolphin trainer said: “I’m delighted with him, he looks great and I’m very pleased.

“I wasn’t going to bring him up here, but I just thought that ground was here and it was an opportunity for him to have an enjoyable day out.

“We’re looking towards the Lockinge with him, but he is ground dependent. We went to Longchamp pretty confident he wasn’t going to handle it, but until you’ve ran on it you don’t know and if they don’t turn up on that ground, you can at least put a line through it going forward.

“We were hopeful we were going to keep in training as a four-year-old and we know now not to waste a run by running him on slow ground.

“The race we’re working back from is the Queen Anne, all being well. I think he learnt plenty in America and that’s the sort of race I’ll hopefully be trying to work back from again – a swansong round Del Mar, he’ll enjoy that.”