Cinderella's Dream comes through for Falmouth Stakes victory
Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Cinderella's Dream needed to reverse Royal Ascot form with her Duke of Cambridge Stakes conqueror Crimson Advocate, while Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old January provided a fresh test for the Godolphin runner.
Cinderella's Dream looked the have the measure of Crimson Advocate only for well-backed favourite January to deliver her challenge, with Buick's mount battling all the way to the line to prevail by half a length as a 5-2 chance, with a length and three-quarters back to Crimson Advocate in third.
A double for Charlie Appleby and @WilliamBuickX as the consistent Cinderella's Dream quickened nicely to take the Group One @Tattersalls1766 Falmouth Stakes 🏇 pic.twitter.com/SlRRJcSu3l
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) July 11, 2025
"I did think when she hit the rising ground it would take a tough one to get past her," said Appleby, who was winning the Falmouth for the first time.
"I'll be honest, I don't know if she was firing on all cylinders at Ascot. We always look for excuses when we're beaten so we used the bend and the 3lb penalty, but she's been round Del Mar and you ain't going to get many tighter turns than that, so I don't think we can say going round Ascot was going to be too much of a challenge for her.
"Will was just happy over a mile on a straight track as maybe a mile round a bend is sharp enough.
"She won her maiden at Lingfield and then we went up to Thirsk to win her novice. She's knee high to a grasshopper but she's as tough as teak and I'm delighted for her as she's been so consistent and for her to win a Group One here in Europe is richly deserved.
"We're very much going to work back from the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf. It annoyed me when that got away for us last year, so we'll go back for a crack at that, how we get there we'll work that out."
The other Group race on the card saw Venetian Sun hold off the late charge of Royal Fixation to win the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes as she extended her unbeaten record.
Sent off the 2-5 favourite after a convincing Albany Stakes success at Royal Ascot, Venetian Sun travelled supremely well throughout the six-furlong Group Two and when Clifford Lee asked her to quicken, it looked a matter of how far.
Royal Fixation and William Buick had other ideas though, launching their challenge away from the market leader in the final furlong, with Venetian Sun's margin only a neck in the end, although there was still a slightly cosy feel to it.
Venetian Sun maintains her unbeaten start by landing the Group Two Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, winning impressively for the duo of @CliffordleexLee and @karl_burke 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1u0BTcXCuy
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) July 11, 2025
Winning trainer Karl Burke said: "This race wasn't part of the plan originally, we just made a decision last week to enter and have a look at the race and if we were happy with the filly and happy with the race then we might take our chance.
"There's been no issues with the filly, but we haven't trained her for this race – we've been fairly easy on her since Ascot, as you would expect, with the thought that we'd go for the Lowther at York or maybe the Prix Morny.
"Now she's won a Group Two that brings the Morny into it more than the Lowther. We won't say we're definitely going to the Morny, but if the ground is a bit easier and it's a race we think we can be very competitive in we could go there and still have time to get her ready for the Moyglare.
"If we're not happy with her for the Morny, we'll go straight to the Moyglare."
Burke completed the Albany/Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes double with Dandalla five years ago, while Laurens and Fallen Angel were both Classic-winning fillies for the Spigot Lodge handler, who has made no secret of the regard in which he holds his latest potential star.
"I would say she's another league above Dandalla, who was a very good racehorse but this filly is a little bit special," he added.
"She'd be quicker than Laurens and Fallen Angel. They were high-class, Group One-winning fillies and this filly hasn't done that yet, but she'd be a lot quicker and she's a very straightforward filly with a fantastic mind."
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