Desert Flower blooms with impressive Newmarket debut

Desert Flower earned quotes for the 1000 Guineas with a stylish debut performance in the Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket.

Trainer Charlie Appleby was winning the seven-furlong maiden for the fifth time in eight years, this time with a daughter of Night Of Thunder.

The money came late for Ollie Sangster’s Flight, ridden by Ryan Moore – and they made a bold bid for home.

But William Buick was able to move stylishly into contention going into the dip before pulling away nicely to win by three and a quarter lengths at 5-2.

Betfair and Paddy Power introduced her into the 1000 Guineas betting at 33-1.

Appleby said: “They’ve done a great job with her because we couldn’t get her in the stalls a couple of weeks ago – and when she did eventually go in, she didn’t want to come out!

“She’s a filly that has obviously got natural ability but is still very raw. William said he was surprised she was able to win today. He sat on her the other day and said he liked her and she was ready to run, but he was surprised how she came into the race.

“I don’t want to say anything too bold but she’ll appreciate stepping up to a mile, she appreciated the conditions and we might work back from something like the May Hill, but there’s water to go under the bridge before then.

“It was a nice performance and there will be marked improvement because she’s been so raw at home. It was nice to see her pick up when she met the rising ground and go away, there’s a lot of potential there.”

Asian Daze (9-1) signed off her career in Europe in the best possible fashion when carrying top weight to victory in the Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Fillies’ Handicap.

Formerly trained by Johnny Murtagh in Ireland, she was bought by Australian handler Gai Waterhouse at the Ascot sale and performed with credit when ninth in the Sandringham.

Sent to fellow Aussie Jane Chapple-Hyam for her swansong on these shores, she battled gamely for Billy Loughnane and held off Lou Lou’s Gift by a neck.

“I’m very pleased to be training her for Gai, I’m also one of her owners, so we go back a long way,” said Chapple-Hyam.

“I think she’ll go into quarantine now before heading to Australia. She’d been training well and we’d been sending reports to Gai every other day.”