Creative Flair (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) had always looked like a promising filly for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby last year at three, and she built on that promise on Friday at Meydan with a first pattern-race win in the G2 Balanchine S.
A winner in her second of two starts at two, Creative Flair won on Royal Ascot Trials day before finishing second in the one-mile Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. at York. Creative Flair stepped up to 2000 metres to earn a first black-type victory in the Listed Abingdon S. at Newbury before traveling to France to finish third in the G3 Prix Chloe in July. Her travels then took her to America, where she was third in the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. and fourth in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. six weeks apart.
Making her first start since, Creative Flair and William Buick broke on top from their wide post but were soon overtaken by Stunning Beauty (Ire) (Shamardal). Keeping that rival within a length while racing wide down the backstretch, Creative Flair moved in closer and began to close the gap approaching the turn. Creative Flair took the lead from Stunning Beauty at the top of the stretch but had to call on her reserves as Saeed bin Suroor's Dubai Love (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and last-out G2 Cape Verdi winner Pevensey Bay (Ger) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) commenced their runs. Creative Flair re-broke inside the final furlong, however, hitting the wire three-quarters of a length the good.
Pedigree Notes
Creative Flair is the second foal and first stakes winner out of Hidden Gold (Ire) (Shamardal), who has a 2-year-old full-sister to Creative Flair. Hidden Gold is a daughter of the Listed Pretty Polly S. winner and dual Oaks-placed Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra), a daughter of the great Urban Sea and therefore a half-sister to Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) and five other stakes winners including the Group 1-winning Black Sam Bellamy (Ire) and My Typhoon (Ire). Melikah is the second dam of Khawlah (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who was another star of the Dubai carnival for Godolphin, winning the G2 UAE Derby and G3 UAE Oaks before going on to foal Godolphin's Derby winner Masar (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Other Group 1 winners on the page include the Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Belmont Oaks winner Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Irish Oaks victress Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).
BALANCHINE PRESENTED BY LONGINES EVIDENZA-G2, $180,000, Meydan, 2-4, 3yo/up, f/m, 9fT, 1:47.99, gd.
1–CREATIVE FLAIR (IRE), 126, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Hidden Gold (Ire) (SW & MGSP-Eng,
$211,207, by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Melikah (Ire), by Lammtarra
3rd Dam: Urban Sea, by Miswaki
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby;
J-William Buick. $108,000. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 9-4-1-2,
$305,154. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Pevensey Bay (Ger), 130, m, 6, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–
Pachelbelle (Fr), by Anabaa. O/B-Julia & Jonathan Aisbitt (FR);
T-Hiroo Shimizu. $36,000.
3–Dubai Love (GB), 126, m, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Devotion
(Ire), by Dylan Thomas (Ire). (120,000gns Wlg '17 TATFOA).
O-Godolphin; B-Petches Farm Ltd (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor.
$18,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 2. Also Ran: Last Look (Ire), Soft Whisper (Ire), Silent Night (Swe), Dalanijujo (Ire), Wedding Dance (Ire), Mnasek, Stunning Beauty (Ire).
Click for the Emirates Racing chart. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
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