Watch: With The Moonlight makes it a super Saratoga weekend for Charlie Appleby

With The Moonlight capped a stellar weekend at Saratoga for Charlie Appleby and William Buick with victory in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational on Sunday.

The Godolphin duo were already on a high following Nations Pride's Saratoga Derby success on Saturday and they claimed the fillies' equivalent as With The Moonlight scored a day later, asserting her dominance close home to win by a length and three-quarters.

The Frankel filly tracked the front-running Contemporary Art all the way to the turn for home before mounting her challenge at the top of the straight.

With The Moonlight wore down her rival in the final couple of furlongs and extended her advantage towards the line to win comfortably from her Belmont Oaks conqueror McKulick.

Having returned with just shy of £700,000 in prize-money, it was a memorable first visit to the New York track for Appleby and Buick.

"It's my first time at Saratoga and I thoroughly loved it," Appleby said. "It's an amazing place and I can see why there's been a lot of history and fun here."

The similarities between With The Moonlight and Nations Pride were notable. Both ran below expectation in the Epsom Classics and then finished second in the first leg of the New York Turf Triple series for three-year-olds, the Belmont Derby in Nations Pride's case.

Like her stablemate the day before, With The Moonlight took a big step forward from Belmont to turn the tables on the Chad Brown-trained McKulick.

"It was a good performance," said Appleby. "We respected Chad's filly but we were confident coming in. They looked comfortable and she was in a nice rhythm. She was travelling well within herself. It was nice, even fractions so I knew coming off the turn she was in A1 position."

While Appleby ruled out the Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont for With The Moonlight, he revealed Nations Pride will head for the Jockey Club Derby, a race he won with Yibir last year.

"We'll step him up to the mile and a half of the Jockey Club Derby Invitational, that would probably be the most realistic aim now," the trainer said.

When asked if the Breeders' Turf Cup, which Yibir also won in 2021, would then follow for Nations Pride, Appleby said: "If we're lucky enough that he can get the job done there it’s a ‘win and you’re in’ race for the Breeders’ Cup, so it gives us the option."

Read more international news . . .

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