Cinderella’s Dream could get win come true in Saratoga Oaks

Godolphin’s U.K.-homebred Cinderella’s Dream was a stylish winner of the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) in her New York debut on July 6 at Belmont at the Big A. The Shamardal bay will have to turn back an international field of six rivals at Saratoga if the fairytale is to continue in Friday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational.

The race slated as the eighth of 10 with a post time of 5:10 p.m. EDT.

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Trained by Charlie Appleby, Cinderella’s Dream has trained into the 1 3/16-mile, outer-turf test for 3-year-old fillies from Godolphin’s Greentree facility located adjacent to the Spa, breezing back twice over the Oklahoma training turf to maintain her good form.

Cinderella’s Dream was nothing short of spectacular in her stateside debut over firm footing in the 1 3/16-mile Belmont Oaks, firing down the lane with an electric turn of foot from well off the pace to overtake the dueling returning foe Segesta and 4-5 favorite She Feels Pretty to secure her first Grade 1 win with a course record 1:53.42.

She worked a half-mile in 50.55 seconds Friday over Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf in company with Beautiful Love, a 3-year-old Siyouni filly, in her final preparation for the second leg of the lucrative invitational series.

“She’s in great nick, and she’s done very, very well since her last run,” Appleby said. “She broke the track record there last time at Aqueduct in the Belmont Oaks, which was impressive.”

Cinderella’s Dream won her first four starts, including an eye-catching, 5 1/2-length win under Buick despite a slipped saddle in the listed Jumeirah 1,000 Guineas at Meydan. She failed to fire in the 16-horse-strong 1,000 Guineas (G1) on May 5 at Newmarket when she wound up seventh. She did land a neck to the good of next-out Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) winner Fallen Angel.

Cinderella’s Dream is out of the Dubawi mare Espadrille, and her second dam is Group 3-winning High Chaparral mare High Heeled.

Buick has enjoyed success in tandem with Appleby at the Spa, capturing this event in 2022 aboard With The Moonlight along with scores in the 2022 Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) with Nations Pride and the Manhattan (G1) in June with Measured Time as part of the Belmont Stakes racing festival. He will pilot Cinderella’s Dream from the inside post.

Greenfinch will be the main antagonist racing off short rest from her win in the listed Cairn Rouge on July 17 at Killarney for Ireland champion trainer Aidan O’Brien.

With Wayne Lordan up in the one-mile Cairn Rouge, Greenfinch broke a step slow from her inside draw but easily made the front to set the tempo en route to a comfortable, 2 1/4-length score.

Sporting a distinctive wide, white blaze, Greenfinch graduated at third asking in November over the Dundalk synthetic ahead of a pair of fourth-place efforts on turf in Group 3 company in the seven-furlong Priory Belle in April at Leopardstown and the 1 1/2-mile Munster Oaks in June at Cork.

She arrived at the Cairn Rouge from a close third under returning rider Ryan Moore in the 1 1/4-mile Naas Oaks on June 26 when she raced from the back of the pack next to eventual winner Hanalia. That duo made a surging run down the lengthy homestretch to arrive in a blanket finish with Hanalia a three-quarter-length winner over Bellezza, who nosed out Greenfinch for place honors. Hanalia exited that event to run sixth in the Irish Oaks (G1) at the Curragh, and Bellezza returned to action Saturday to finish a close third to victorious O’Brien-trained class dropper The Euphrates in the listed Marble City at Gowran Park.

Greenfinch, out of multiple Group 1-winning Galileo mare Misty For Me, is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning millionaire U S Navy Flag and graded-stakes winner Cover Song. She is owned by Westerberg and the Coomore trio of Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.

Moore, in search of his first Spa win, has the call from post 5.

Movin’ On Up, in post 7 with Tyler Gaffalione, will look to get a big piece of the pie as she aspires to go from claim to fame for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

The Accelerate gray owned by Kenneth Ramsey was haltered for $35,000 from a third-out graduation in December in an off-the-turf maiden over the Gulfstream Park synthetic. She followed with a 3 1/4-length, optional-claiming score over the same surface March 3. Twenty days later she closed from last of 10 to finish fifth in Turfway Park’s Bourbonette Oaks three lengths behind victorious Everland.

Last out Movin’ On Up stalked and pounced to a 1 1/4-length, allowance win traveling 1 1/8 miles over firm footing to best older company June 13 at Churchill Downs.

“She made a big run in the race at Turfway and flattened out, and then she won very nicely at Churchill,” Joseph Jr. said. “It was a bit of a wide trip, but she seemed to stay the distance well.”

Joseph, who already has won two stakes at the Spa summer meet, credited his owner with selecting well-bred Movin’ On Up. Her second dam Gloria S, a half-sister to 2012 Kentucky Derby winner and champion 3-year-old male I’ll Have Another, produced Grade 1 turf winner Harvey’s Lil Goil.

“Mr. Ramsey picked her out. She came in in good form and has continued her natural development,” Joseph said. “She is getting better as a 3-year-old, and that’s what you want to see.”

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Segesta, in post 6 with Irad Ortiz Jr., set a good tempo in the Belmont Oaks. She held a head advantage at the stretch call, and she dueled gamely to the wire to miss by less than one length while securing place honors by a nose over Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Ghostzapper dark bay is out of Grade 1-winning First Defence mare Antonoe. She graduated at third asking in April at Keeneland ahead of a prominent score in the 1 1/8-mile Wonder Again (G2) at Belmont at the Big A.

Late running Dancing N Dixie, in post 2 with José Ortiz, enters from a neck score in the one-mile listed Tepin on June 29 at Churchill Downs.

Owned by Gary Barber, Rocky Top Stables and LEMB Stables and trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the Florida-bred Neolithic gray rallied from seven lengths back in seventh position before making a seven-wide move at the top of the lane to arrive in the final jumps to best Mo Fox Givin with returning rival Kathynmarissa another half-length back in third.

The winning effort earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form, and avenged a trio of similar deep-closing near misses. She was third in each of the 1 1/16-mile Florida Oaks (G3) in March at Tampa Bay Downs, the one-mile Appalachian (G2) in April at Keeneland and the 1 1/16-mile Edgewood (G2) in May at Churchill.

Dancing N Dixie, a $35,000 purchase from OBS June sale of 2-year-olds and horses of racing age, has banked $320,550 through a 10: 3-0-3 record.

The Rick Dutrow-trained stakes-placed duo of Macanga, in post 4 with John Velázquez, and Kathynmarissa, in post 3 with Frankie Dettori, round out the field.