Dance To The Music strikes for Appleby and Loughnane

Dance To The Music maintained her unbeaten record for Charlie Appleby with a narrow Group Three verdict in the Newsells Park Stud Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket.

The filly was a length winner under Billy Loughnane on the Rowley Mile back in May and the duo were reunited on the July course, being sent off an 11-4 chance upped to seven furlongs.

Loughnane sat behind pacesetter Venetian Lace but had enough up his sleeve in the dying strides to make sure Dance To The Music held off the late charge of Princess Petrol by a neck, with Venetian Lace half a length back in third.

Appleby knows the family well having trained the winner’s brother Space Blues to win three Group Ones, culminating with Breeders’ Cup Mile glory in 2021.

The Godolphin handler said: “That was very pleasing. She is a filly who is a full-sister to Space Blues and so your heart sometimes rules your head when you get involved with these pedigrees. She is so much more forward than Space Blues, who didn’t run until November at Nottingham.

“This filly came out in the spring and Billy rode her that day on the Rowley Mile. He said she was very weak and raw, which she was really. We have given her all the time to do what she needs to do at this stage of her career and the step up to seven – we felt it was the right time to do it.

“She has that turn of foot as well which Billy used today. When you have got a Charlie Johnston horse on the front end, you have got to respect that and sit close to its girth. Billy said I was never going to outstay one of theirs, so he used that acceleration he had underneath him, and I think that was probably the winning of the race.”

Appleby believes speed could be Dance To The Music’s forte, adding: “What we saw with Space Blues, as he got older and stronger he got quicker. I think this filly will do the same. Billy said she is still raw and weak and I think she is only going to improve with time under her girth.”

Paddy Power cut Dance To The Music to 14-1 for next year’s 1000 Guineas, but Coral left her unchanged at 20-1 for Classic glory.

Zanthos could take on the colts in the Solario Stakes after a cosy three-length victory in the Tattersalls £40,000 EBF “Newcomers” Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

A €1million breeze-up buy in May, Zanthos was sent off the 4-5 favourite for trainers Simon and Ed Crisford and the result never really looked in doubt as Oisin Murphy’s mount eased away from Classic Cuvee with the minimum of fuss.

Paddy Power make Zanthos a 25-1 chance for next year’s 1000 Guineas and Simon Crisford hopes she will rank highly.

He told Racing TV: “She showed a nice turn of foot, lots of quality, she’s a very good-looking filly and her mind is very good as well now. I think she’s a filly that will take us to the top table, hopefully.

“We will talk to Shaikh Khalid (of owners KHK Racing) first but the Prestige will come too quick in two weeks’ time, don’t really want to step her up to a mile just yet for the May Hill so maybe we’ll look at something like the Solario Stakes against colts at Sandown. The timing of the race is perfect for her, three weeks today.”