Last Thursday saw the 2024 edition of the Doncaster St. Leger kick off with a bumper eight-race card, headlined by the Group 2 double act of the May Hill Stakes and Park Hill Stakes. The Park Hill Stakes provided an early taste of the 1m6½f course and distance of the St. Leger itself, but the May Hill Stakes generated the most hype.
Held over the 1m trip and open to juvenile fillies, the May Hill has been landed by a host of future Group 1 winners, including Rafha, Teggiano, Simply Perfect, and Laurens, and Classic heroines Midway Lady and Reams Of Verse. With such a roll of honour, the Town Moor contest has a well-earned reputation as one of the most informative two-year-old fillies events of the season.
2024 Field Filled with Promise
Nine attractively bred fillies lined up for the 2024 edition, with the market settling on the challengers from the powerful Coolmore and Godolphin operations as the most likely to claim the prize.
| No. | Horse | Draw | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anshoda | 1 | David Loughnane |
| 2 | Biniorella Bay (NR) | – | Tom Clover |
| 3 | Desert Flower | 3 | Charlie Appleby |
| 4 | Ecstatic | 6 | Aidan O’Brien |
| 5 | Elsie’s Ruan | 9 | Gemma Tutty |
| 6 | Flight | 2 | Ollie Sangster |
| 7 | January | 5 | Aidan O’Brien |
| 8 | Manila Thriller | 10 | Jack Channon |
| 9 | Miss Tonnerre | 4 | Ed Walker |
| 10 | Serving With Style | 7 | Karl Burke |
Aidan O’Brien sent two into battle in the shape of January and Ecstatic, with jockey bookings suggesting the former was the stable number one. By Kingman and out of Group 2 winning mare I Can Fly, the mount of Sean Levey boasts stacks of appeal on paper and arrived on the back of an authoritative success in a Listed contest at Tipperary. Ecstatic had only a Maiden win to her name but was only marginally less intriguing on pedigree, being by Japanese sprint star Lord Kanaloa and out of the wonderful, Group 1-winning Ballydoyle mare Magic Wand.
Desert Flower flew the flag for the Boys In Blue of Godolphin, with Appleby number one William Buick taking the ride. Sired by the 2014 2000 Guineas hero Night Of Thunder and out of the mare Promising Run, who won four times in Group 2 company over 7f-1m1f, the good-looking bay was ideally bred for the task at hand and looked the part when landing Maiden and Novice events at Newmarket earlier in the season.
Away from the owner/breeder behemoths, Ollie Sangster’s Flight impressed when landing a Class 2 event at Sandown last time; Miss Tonnerre won easily on debut at Newmarket, and David Loughnane’s Anshoda looked ready for this step up in class when claiming the Group 3 Prestige Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood.
Flower Floors Them
This looked a competitive renewal on paper, but the money suggested Desert Flower was the one to be on, with the Godolphin filly sent off as the Even money favourite ahead of 10/3 shot, January.
Punters who availed themselves of that Even Money price had few moments of concern. Anshoda, Flight, and Serving With Style ensured a strong pace, with Flight claiming the lead as her own 2f from home. However, whilst she and the others appeared flat to the boards, Desert Flower moved supremely well as she tanked into contention on the outside. Soon sent to the front, she cruised to success with minimal urging from Buick in the saddle. The Godolphin runner was 1½l too good for January at the line, that winning margin failed to reflect the superiority of a filly who appears destined for the top table.
1000 Guineas the Long-Term Aim?
The Fillies Mile at Newmarket is the most common next destination for the May Hill Stakes winner – setting up a potentially mouth-watering clash with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Bedtime Story, who made the racing world sit up and take notice with a 9½l romp in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Should that October outing go well, Desert Flower will surely be pencilled in for a return visit to Newmarket in May for the opening Classic of the 2025 campaign. This effort alone was enough to see her 1000 Guineas odds tumble to around 10/1 as she extended her career record to a perfect three from three.
