Mystery solved at Newmarket in shape of potential Appleby star

Simon Milham
July 1, 2023 12:38 pm

Kodiac filly looks to have a huge future.

Star Of Mystery ran out an ultra-impressive winner of the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes, as Charlie Appleby made a welcome return to the big-race winner’s enclosure at Newmarket.

Appleby has endured a quiet time of late, drawing a blank at Royal Ascot, but the performance of the hugely promising daughter of Kodiac gave the Moulton Paddocks handler plenty to smile about.

Second to the well-regarded Carla’s Way on debut, Star Of Mystery wasted little time opening her account in tremendous fashion at Haydock on her second start, which saw her sent off the 4-5 favourite for this Listed contest.

⭐ Star Of Mystery ⭐
She’s a half-sister to two Group 1 winners and is surely heading for lofty heights herself after a runaway win in the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes at @NewmarketRace. @godolphin 👀 pic.twitter.com/DZl4qObyz0
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 1, 2023

And she gave favourite-backers barely a moment’s worry, quickening smartly from a forward position in the hands of William Buick to blow the opposition away in fine style, registering a visually taking four-length success from Cry Fiction in the process.

It was Appleby’s second win in the six-furlong contest, following the success of Summer Romance in 2019. However, Appleby does not think she will become a Classic filly next season.

“She is a filly we know pedigree-wise, she is a from a speed-on-speed family,” he said.

“We came here today confident that she would come forward from that run at Haydock.

“We knew at the time when she got beaten at Lingfield that the winner that day was strongly fancied. It was a big ask to go to Ascot and it didn’t materialise unfortunately. We then went to Haydock and and obviously thought we hadn’t beaten a great deal, but when you win by 11 lengths, it is still a very impressive performance and physically she has done well since then.

Charlie Appleby with former multiple Group One-winning trainer Clive Brittain (PA)

“The natural route would be to work back from a Cheveley Park realistically. That’s the likelihood. I’m not going to say where we go next, but that will be our target.

“I think she is a six-furlong filly. People have asked if she is a Guineas filly. No, I don’t think she’ll get a Guineas, unless they shorten it by a couple of furlongs. No, realistically, she is not a Guineas filly and it will be wrong to train her like that.

“She is a set little model and we’ll keep cracking on as we are and hopefully she will do what we hope she can achieve in the Cheveley Park and we’ll be delighted.

“We will be positive with her this year.”