First Foal Out Of Daddys Lil Darling, Savethelastdance Impresses Ryan Moore With 22-Length Cheshire Oaks Victory

The first foal out of Grade 1 winner Daddys Lil Darling fired an impressive race at Chester on Wednesday, making her an early favorite for this year's 3-year-old fillies' Classic races in Europe. Savethelastdance, sired by Galileo, won the Cheshire Oaks by a margin of 22 lengths for trainer Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore.

“I was very impressed, you can only be impressed by what she's done there,” Moore told the Racing Post. “They kind of all gave up with half a mile to go and she was just getting going, but she gave me a very good feel – she's probably given me as good a feel in this race as the ones I've ridden before.”

The next stop for Savethelastdance is likely to be the Epsom Oaks on Friday, June 2.

Daddys Lil Darling, trained by Ken McPeek in the United States, is a daughter of Scat Daddy who won the G1 American Oaks on turf, finished second in the G1 Kentucky Oaks and the G1 Ashland, both on dirt, and retired with earnings of $1,335,305 for owner/breeder Normandy Farm. Upon her retirement, Daddys Lil Darling was sold at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, bringing a final bid of $3.5 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier.

Bred to Galileo in 2019, Daddys Lil Darling foaled Savethelastdance in Ireland on March 1, 2020. The filly ran fifth on debut as a 2-year-old, but has now won both her starts as a 3-year-old after breaking her maiden at Leopardstown on March 5.

Daddys Lil Darling has also produced a 2-year-old full brother to Savethelastdance, Mr Hampstead, which sold to Amo Racing for $575,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.