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Sweet Group win for Dance To The Music

Charlie Appleby continued his fine run of form with his team of fillies at Newmarket this season after Dance To The Music played the perfect tune in the Newsells Park Stud Sweet Solera Stakes.

Having landed the Betfred 1000 Guineas with Desert Flower on the Rowley Mile and the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at the July Course last month with Cinderella’s Dream, the Godolphin handler enjoyed more good fortune with a first win in the Group Three feature.

Arriving on the back of a win in a six furlong novice contest on the Rowley Mile in May the daughter of Dubawi was sent off an easy to back 11/4 chance to double that tally upped an extra furlong in trip.

Positioned in the perfect position off a slow pace set by Venetian Lace, the Godolphin-owned filly, who is a full-sister to multiple Group One winner Space Blues, showed plenty of pace under Billy Loughnane, who was completing a double, when push came to shove in the dash to the line.

After moving on past the early pacesetter it was left to recent Ascot scorer Princess Petrol to throw down one last challenge, but although she was gathering a good head of steam Dance To The Music had more than enough up her sleeve to prevail by a neck.

Appleby said: “The step up to seven furlongs has thankfully seen that improvement you need to step up to this level. She is still very raw. She is a neat little filly, but Space Blues wasn’t the biggest and most robust horse and we didn’t run him until November of his two year old career, so she is a step forward of him at this stage of her career. She surprised us how quick she was out as a two year old on the back of Space Blues.

"I had her in at Ascot, but we came out of Ascot, and decided to come here and step her up in trip as well. It was a race that we felt was going to be her strongest chance. She was in the right place, but at the end of the day that Venetian Lace might not have gone a great pace, but she brought a decent level of form from the Superlative Stakes, even though she wandered all over the place, against those colts.

“It is always hard to get past the Johnston horses, as we know, and to be fair to Billy he kicked at the right time. He said I wasn’t going to out stay a Johnston horse so I had to use that bit of acceleration I had. He has used that and put the race to bed.”

Following the race Paddy Power and Sky Bet trimmed Dance To The Music into 14/1 from 25/1 for the Betfred 1000 Guineas, but Appleby admitted the jury is still out as to whether that will turn out to be a long term target.

He added: “When you win races like this people are asking you whether they are a Guineas filly, but I don’t know whether she is a Guineas filly, however she has done nothing wrong to date and I think she will only improve. I’ve not really got a plan yet. Billy said that she was better on a quicker surface as it was on a slightly slower surface than when she broke her maiden, but to be fair when she broke her maiden she was as weak as a robin.”

As for the runner-up her trainer Ed Walker he was pleased with her effort in defeat.

He said: “We entered her so we had to have a go. We had a look at this and the Prestige and I think we made the right call. It was just a shame they went so slow. She was really impressive at Ascot and Tom (Marquand) was very complimentary about her. She is a bit of a sleeper at home as she is very laid back, but we are very happy with her. That was only her third run of her career so we have to be content with that.”

Crisford excited by Zanthos

Zanthos earned quotes for next year’s Betfred 1000 Guineas after transferring her promise shown on the gallops to the racetrack in stylish fashion in the Tattersalls £40,000 EBF “Newcomers” Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Purchased for 1,000,000 euros at the breeze-up sales, the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained daughter of Sioux Nation showed why connections were keen to acquire her services when proving a class above her rivals in the seven furlong contest.

Moving smartly into contention the 4/5 favourite swiftly moved through the gears late on under Oisin Murphy before crossing the line three lengths clear of Classic Cuvee to earn a 25-1 quote for the mile fillies Classic next year with Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

Simon Crisford said: “She did it well and did everything the right way round which was the important thing on her first day at school. She has been a little bit hot so it has taken a while to get her to this point, but she has done very well.

“She will go forward from here and she is an exciting filly for the future. We will more than likely keep her to seven furlongs for her next race, but I think she will stay a mile next year. It was an exciting display really.”

Following the racing Crisford hinted that Zanthos could now take on the boys at Sandown Park at the end of the month in the Group Three BetMGM Solario Stakes.

He added: “The Prestige will come too soon and we might look at the Solario Stakes at the end of the month against colts. If she comes out of this well and advances it is a very good fit time wise. The most important thing is how she comes out of this race and how she moves forward from it. You can’t think of more than one race ahead, but she will stay a mile.”

And equally impressed with the display was Chris Wall, racing manager to owners KHK Racing Ltd.

He said: “It was a good performance and she did everything right for a filly that has been a bit toey at home. Hopefully she can back it up next time. I suppose the Rockfel has to be on the agenda later on. She has done well here though and the money looks well spent.”

Angel delight for Chapple-Hyam

Jane Chapple-Hyam hailed the tenacity shown by Harlequin Angel in getting off the mark at the fourth time of asking with a front running success in the Aston Martin Nursery Handicap at Newmarket.

The daughter of Space Blues, who is a half-sister to Chapple-Hyam’s former dual Group Three runner-up Internationalangel, was not for passing out in front under Loughnane when taking a step up to seven furlongs in her stride on her handicap debut.

Although the Richard Hannon-trained 6-4 favourite Ballistic Missile ranged up as a serious threat on his first start since finishing down the field in the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot he could not quite get on terms with half a length separating the pair at the line.

Chapple-Hyam said of the 13/2 winner: “We bought here on the basis of having had Internationalangel. We know the family and we know how hard they try. I didn’t think the favourite would get past her as she is a nugget.

“The step up to seven furlongs was always going to help her as when David (Egan) rode her over six furlongs here last time he said pulling her up was a hard job. She shouldn’t go up too much so there should be more races in her. The dream is still there for her to be as good as Internationalangel.”

Horsewatchers team on target with Zabeel

Brothers, and Racing TV pundits, Chris and Martin Dixon will have to get their thinking hats on once again after Royal Zabeel scored for the first time on turf in two years in the Moahwood Gin Handicap.

The Mick Appleby-trained son of Mastercraftsman bagged his first win on turf two years to the day since his only other win on grass, which came in a six furlong maiden at Pontefract under Ryan Moore, when waltzing away with the seven furlong prize under top weight.

Although this was only his second win on grass the four year old had enjoyed a productive spell on the all-weather following his switch to Appleby over the winter after winning three of his five starts on an artificial surface, including the Listed Lady BetMGM Wulfruna Stakes in March.

Despite giving weight away to all of his rivals the 12/1 chance, who had contested three Group races prior to finishing last back in handicap company at Haydock Park last time out, was not for stopping after crossing the line with a length in hand under Jason Watson.

Ronnie Whelan, member of The Horse Watchers syndicate, said: “It was a really good result. It was rated one hundred and ten after he won the Lady Wulfruna. Going back to the turf it looked like he was going okay, but then he has had two blow out runs. He hated the soft ground at Leopardstown and at Haydock we don’t know what went wrong, but back on fast ground over seven furlongs is what he likes and I thought he did it easy.

“The ground was the key today. Jason was happy with him and hopefully there is more to come. We will leave the race planning to the brains trust of Chris and Martin, but it was good to get him back in front today.”

There was further success for Watson later on in the card after the Andrew Balding-trained Mister Winston (11/8) bounced back to winning ways with a four length success in the Close Brothers Handicap.

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