Appleby retains full faith in Oaks third Desert Flower

Charlie Appleby had few complaints after big-race favourite Desert Flower failed to bloom in the Betfred Oaks.

Many felt the 1000 Guineas heroine was unopposable in her quest for a Classic double and as such she was sent off the heavily-backed 11-10 favourite in the hands of William Buick.

However, the challenge of Epsom on rain-softened ground ultimately proved too much for the daughter of Night Of Thunder as she surrendered her unbeaten record in her first try at a mile and a half.

Appleby said: “It just looked like she got a bit unbalanced coming down the hill and hit a bit of a flat spot just at the point you don’t want to, but take nothing away from the first two as they just kept galloping.

“I wasn’t worried about the ground, but William (Buick, jockey) has got off there and just felt travelling round early doors before we even got into the race that she would be more comfortable on a sounder surface.

“She stayed, but she hasn’t got a kick at this distance and kick is what the first two have done and William said he wouldn’t mind bringing her back to a mile and a quarter.

“Even if we had got to them, they looked like they would have kicked again and they were both finding at the business end whereas all we were doing was galloping.”

Although Buick, Appleby’s stable jockey, suggested coming back in trip, the Moulton Paddocks handler was more guarded in his assessment, mooting a trip to the Knavesmire for the Yorkshire Oaks.

Appleby added: “I’ll let the dust settle as always but I would like to see her, just because of the size of her, on a more conventional track.

“The jury is out on the trip and I think we’re all happy to say she got the trip and personally I would like to see her in the Yorkshire Oaks – a nice, galloping track like that will suit her.

“We’ll give her a break now and although she won on slower ground in the Fillies’ Mile, slower ground on a track like this, that might have to be taken into consideration. She’s a big, galloping filly and I would say getting her on a conventional track would be more her gig.

“It’s not a bad result and she’s finished third in a Classic, but we’ll regroup and go again.”

Desert Flower stayed on in the closing stages to deny Joseph O’Brien’s Wemightakedlongway of third place, with the Owning Hill handler looking forward to the rest of the season with the Salsabil Stakes scorer.

“It was a great run and we thought we would nick third for a lot of the way, but she’s a super exciting filly for the future,” said O’Brien.

“I think we’ll keep her at this trip or even 10 furlongs, any races over those distances will suit her.”