Charlie Appleby's Desert Flower will put her unbeaten record on the line when she faces six rivals in the Group 1 bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket on Friday.
Following back-to-back impressive victories over seven furlongs on Newmarket's July Course in the summer, Desert Flower quickly proved she was capable of handling the step up in grade when running out a comfortable one-and-a-half-length winner of the reopposing January in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster last month.
The daughter of Night Of Thunder, who is a general 11/8 shot to claim Group 1 glory on the Rowley Mile this Friday, will be bidding to give Charlie Appleby a first victory in the contest as she looks to enhance her Classic credentials.
Standing in her way is a trio of Aidan O'Brien-trained challengers who look to give the master of Ballydoyle a record-breaking seventh Fillies' Mile triumph. Dreamy, Ballet Slippers and January all stood their ground at Thursday's declaration stage, with O'Brien deciding to remove Bubbling, Giselle, Whirl and Ecstatic.
Dreamy will be hoping to keep her perfect record intact after following up her debut success at Goodwood with a Group 3 victory in the Newtownanner Stud Stakes at the Curragh in August, while the beautifully-bred Ballet Slippers – a daughter of Dubawi out of the multiple Group 1 winner Magical – takes a step up in class after getting off the mark at the third time of asking at Ascot last month. May Hill Stakes runner-up January rounds out the O'Brien trio.
The twice-raced pair Tabiti and Anna Swan also both put their unbeaten records on the line, with the former, who represents connections of last weekend's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking, stepping up to a mile after victory in the six-furlong Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury.
Anna Swan made it two from two in her career with a routine conditions race success at Newbury last month. The Cheveley Park-owned Almanzor filly will be hoping to give Sir Michael Stoute a first victory in the contest since Red Bloom scored for the same connections in 2003.
AMO Racing's California Dreamer completes the field of seven.
