By Tom Frary
Godolphin's weekend of all weekends also had a key support act on Sunday as Cinderella's Dream added more glitter dust to proceedings in Newmarket's G2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes. With all the momentum, the operation had the 11-8 favourite for this nine-furlong test by one of their key sires of recent times and on her first British start since last year's 1,000 Guineas she provided the latest reminder of just what a force Shamardal has been.
Switched off in a detached last with William Buick oozing confidence throughout, the homebred sliced between rivals with ease approaching the two-furlong pole, opened up on command a furlong later and hit the 2024 Guineas heroine Elmalka with a stunning 4 1/2-length beating.
Cinderella's Dream made her name overseas at three, dominating the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas and conquering the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational either side of a seventh in this card's fillies Classic. Following up in the GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational, she found only one too good in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and despite that tally it is fair to say that this represented a step forward.
Perhaps not at her best when second in the G2 Balanchine back at Meydan in February, she was able to produce a final three-furlong split of 34.72 and a closing surge of 11.94 on this fast ground she relishes. Unsurprisingly, Charlie Appleby stated afterwards that she had been giving off all the right vibes since her brief Meydan campaign. “If anything, since she has come back from Dubai it has surprised me how much she has strengthened,” he said. “She has thrived since she has been back here.”
“Will said it is not often you come into the dip still pulling with a double handful and he rode her with confidence. There was a bit of a tailwind there and those on the front end can get a bit of an advantage if you try and drop one in, but she is a stronger model,” he added. “Our plan was to go back to America and to go to Saratoga for the Diana and have a crack at that. Going on a little bit, the grand plan is to work back from the Filly & Mare Turf at the Breeders' Cup, as we were a bit unlucky there last year.”
⚡️ Impressive ⚡️
Godolphin's hot streak continues as Cinderella's Dream runs riot in the Group 2 @Betfred Dahlia Stakes.@godolphin | @WilliamBuickX 🟦🟦 pic.twitter.com/d26ev591OH
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 4, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Cinderella's Dream is the second foal out of the Dubawi mare Espadrille, a full-sister to the German listed scorer Pabouche and daughter of High Chaparral's High Heeled who took the G3 St Simon Stakes and was third in the Oaks. High Heeled is a full-sister to the listed winner Bella Estrella, whose colt Iberian by Shamardal's leading sire son Lope De Vega captured the G2 Champagne Stakes, while the third dam is the dual Grade II winner Uncharted Heaven whose descendants include the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge by Lawman.
Sunday, Newmarket, Britain
BETFRED DAHLIA STAKES-G2, £125,000, Newmarket, 5-4, 4yo/up, f, 9fT, 1:50.29, g/f.
1–CINDERELLA'S DREAM (GB), 128, f, 4, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Espadrille (GB), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: High Heeled (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
3rd Dam: Uncharted Haven (GB), by Turtle Island (Ire)
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £70,888. Lifetime Record: GISW-US, SW & GSP-UAE, 10-7-2-0, $1,198,347. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Elmalka (GB), 128, f, 4, Kingman (GB)–Nahrain (GB), by Selkirk. O-Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin (GB); T-Roger Varian. £26,875.
3–Beautiful Love (Ire), 128, f, 4, Siyouni (Fr)–Powder Snow, by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £13,450.
Margins: 4HF, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.38, 2.50, 11.00.
Also Ran: Secret Satire (GB), Running Lion (GB).
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