Flight Takes Aim at Betfred May Hill Stakes Glory

Ollie Sangster’s promising filly Flight is set to soar at Doncaster on Thursday, as she lines up for the Group Two Betfred May Hill Stakes. Following a dominant maiden victory at Sandown, connections are optimistic that the daughter of Lope De Vega is ready to make her mark on the big stage.

Having come up just short in her first two races, Flight left her rivals trailing in her third outing, comfortably securing a win under jockey Oisin Murphy. Her trainer, Ollie Sangster, has high hopes that the filly’s potential is finally beginning to take flight.

“We were very happy with her performance at Sandown,” said Sangster. “It was straightforward enough, and she displayed the promise we had been seeing all along. She has come out of the race really well, and although it’s a quick turnaround and a big step up in company, we’ve always felt she was a stakes-class filly.”

Sangster, who has already enjoyed stakes-level success this season with horses like Simmering and Celestial Orbit, believes Flight’s gradual development will serve her well as she steps up to the mile distance for the first time.

“She’s been learning on the job and improving with each run. I think she will take another step forward, and the extra furlong should suit her. Hopefully, she will run a nice race,” he added.

However, Flight faces a formidable challenge from Charlie Appleby’s Desert Flower, who remains unbeaten after two impressive wins at Newmarket. The daughter of Night Of Thunder has quickly built a strong reputation and will be a warm favorite for this contest. Appleby is optimistic that his filly will continue her upward trajectory with the step up to a mile.

“Desert Flower won both her starts on the July course well and is going the right way,” Appleby told Godolphin.com. “We feel that the step up to a mile here should bring about more improvement, which will be needed at this level. We’ve been pleased with her preparation and are looking forward to seeing how she gets on in this company.”

Another significant contender is Aidan O’Brien, who saddles two promising fillies in January and Ecstatic. January, a dominant winner of the Churchill Stakes, will look to build on her strong form, while Ryan Moore takes the ride on Tipperary maiden winner Ecstatic.

Yorkshire will have a local hope in Elsie’s Ruan, trained by Gemma Tutty, who will be hoping to pull off a career-best win. Elsie’s Ruan finished third in the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes and could provide a memorable result for her connections.

Another runner of note is Anshoda, who already has the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood on her CV. David Loughnane’s filly has been thriving this season and was recently purchased by Team Valor and Gary Barber, with a long-term plan to race at the Breeders’ Cup later in the year.

“It looks a more competitive race than Goodwood, and the Godolphin horse looks a decent animal, but we will take our chance,” said Loughnane. “I think she’s taken a step forward since Goodwood, and the step up to a mile will benefit her. Any rain will also help. This is our next stepping stone to prepping her for the Breeders’ Cup.”

As the May Hill Stakes approaches, all eyes will be on Flight to see if she can rise to the challenge and join the ranks of Sangster’s stakes winners this season. With a talented field of fillies ready to challenge, the race promises to be a thrilling spectacle at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival.