Godolphin's Classic star Desert Flower to visit Lope De Vega for first cover

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Desert Flower, last year's 1,000 Guineas heroine and an unbeaten Group 1 winner at two, will be covered by Lope De Vega for her first mating this spring. 

Liam O'Rourke, Darley's director of studs, stallions and breeding, said: "Desert Flower will visit Lope De Vega this spring but has not yet been covered. Hopefully this will soon alter as the finer weather approaches."

The Godolphin homebred won all four of her juvenile starts for Charlie Appleby, with her crowning moment that term coming in the Fillies' Mile. There she defeated her rivals by upwards of five and a half lengths, having also captured the Group 2 May Hill Stakes after two Newmarket maiden and novice wins.

A daughter of Darley's British and Irish champion sire Night Of Thunder, Desert Flower reappeared as a three-year-old to land the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. There she overcame Ollie Sangster's high-class pair Flight and Simmering, as well as previously unbeaten champion two-year-old filly Lake Victoria. 

The Aidan O'Brien-trained daughter of Frankel went on to secure Classic laurels of her own in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Desert Flower ran just once more when third behind Minnie Hauk and Whirl in the Oaks at Epsom last June. Having been sent off favourite to maintain her unbeaten record, the chestnut finished four-and-a-quarter-lengths behind the Ballydoyle pair. 

One of nine Group/Grade 1 winners for Night Of Thunder, the four-year-old is out of the multiple Group 2-winning Hard Spun mare Promising Run. That makes Desert Flower a three-parts sister to Aablan, a son of Dubawi who landed the Group 3 Solario Stakes in 2023 for Godolphin and Appleby.

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