'She did stay, but she hasn't got a kick' - Desert Flower team ponder next move after filly finishes best of the rest

Charlie Appleby and William Buick felt rain-softened ground was to blame for blunting the speed of red-hot Betfred Oaks favourite Desert Flower, who lost her unbeaten record but proved best of the rest in a distant third behind stronger stayers Minnie Hauk and Whirl. 

Appleby said he hadn't been worried by a description of good to soft, good in places, but said Buick felt the 1,000 Guineas heroine wasn't at home on the surface. 

"I wasn't worried about the ground, Will just felt she wasn't as comfortable," said Appleby. "He just felt that even travelling around early doors, before we even got into the race. He felt she'd be more comfortable on a sounder surface."

Appleby didn't rule out another crack at a mile and a half on a flatter track, but Buick seems keener on dropping back to ten furlongs. 

"He [Buick] said he'd like to bring her back to a mile and a quarter," said Appleby. "She did stay, but she hasn't got a kick. At this level you need to stay and kick, and that's what the first two did. Even if we'd got to them it looked like they would have kicked again. They were finding at the business end whereas we were just galloping. 

"I'd like to see her, just because of the size of her, on a more conventional track. Trip-wise, the jury is out. I wouldn't say she didn't get it, I think we're all happy to say she got it, and personally I'd like to see her in the Yorkshire Oaks. A track like that would suit her. We'll give her a break now. It's not a bad result, she's finished third in a Classic."

Desert Flower (all blue) gives chase to Minnie Hauk and Whirl in the OaksCredit: Edward Whitaker

Buick crouched notably lower in the saddle as the field descended Tattenham Corner but was never able to latch on to the back of Ryan Moore and Minnie Hauk in second. 

"I thought she ran very well," Buick told ITV Racing. "She was stepping up a long way in trip and we were hoping all week that the rain would stay away, but unfortunately it got into the ground. The track is testing and it's drying, so it's tacky. It suited fillies with stamina and the winner has stamina in spades."

While Minnie Hauk notably rolled into Whirl as she ran down the camber towards the rail in the closing stages, both the first and second appeared much more comfortable coming down the hill than Desert Flower, although Buick was quick to stand up for how his filly handled the unique test of Epsom.

"Desert Flower did everything right and she probably didn't quite get the trip," he said. "The last furlong was a long one for her. She probably struggled a little bit down the hill on the track but she was balanced almost all the way through.

"It remains to be seen whether we drop her back to a mile and a quarter but she does need good, fast ground."

Read more:

Aidan O'Brien reigns again in Oaks as Ryan Moore and Minnie Hauk down Whirl to give Ballydoyle master a Classic one-two 

'Incredible' Jan Brueghel prevails in epic Coronation Cup as Francis Graffard offers 'no excuses' for odds-on Calandagan 

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