Charlie Appleby and William Buick’s excellent July Cup meeting continued when Cinderella’s Dream claimed a first European top-level success in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes.
Having already teamed up with four winners prior to the first Group 1 of the meeting, Cinderella's Dream was sent off a 5/2 shot to reverse the placings with Crimson Advocate, who got the better of Godolphin-owned filly when in receipt of 3lb from her in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
However, back off level weights, Charlie Appleby's four-year-old readily reversed the one- and three-quarter length deficit to regain the winning thread at the chief expense of the well-backed January.
It looked as though Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old was going to collect the spoils for favourite backers as she loomed large towards the near side rail, but once asked for maximum effort by Buick, Cinderella's Dream picked up strongly in the final furlong before seeing out well to score by half a length. Crimson Advocate finished a further length and three quarters behind in third.
Appleby, who was landing the Falmouth Stakes for the first time, said: "I did think when she hit the rising ground it would take a tough one to get past her,"
"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 aren'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 1 here in Europe is richly deserved."
Whilst immediate plans remain open for the daughter of Shamardalah, Appleby firmly has his eyes on another crack at the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf at the end of the season.
He added: "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."
Victory added another to the ever-growing tally of William Buick, who yesterday joined an elite list of active jockeys to ride 2,000 winners in Britain.
"She's all class. She's been unlucky a couple of times, but today she's put it all together," said the Norwegian-born rider.
"What a game filly she is, it was a ding-dong between two good fillies, it was a good race. She had give the second filly 9lb, which is never easy.
"I'm just so pleased for her; she's been a wonderful filly all through and I'm just delighted she's got a domestic Group 1 next to her name."
Whilst Cinderella's Dream looks set for a trip to America, Aidan O'Brien nominated the Prix Rothschild at Deauville on the 3rd August for his runner-up January.
The daughter of Kingman loomed large towards the near side rail under Ryan Moore, but she ultimately found the Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old Cinderella's Dream half a length too strong crossing the line.
"I think there should be more improvement to come from her," said Aidan O'Brien. "She has a lot of ability this filly and she is improving. It's definitely coming and 1600m is definitely her trip, she's quick. We're slowly getting closer with her.
"It's always frustrating but she ran a great race. She's getting better and we're on the right road.
"There's a fillies' race in Deauville (Prix Rothschild – Gr.1) in about two of three weeks' time. She could run in something like that."
