YES, if you thought Arrest’s more than six-length win in the Group 3 Chester Vase was impressive, what about the 22-length rout by Savethelastdance was in the Listed Cheshire Oaks?

On just her third outing, this daughter of Galileo could well go on to win at group level, and she is already doing her bit to justify the $3.5 million price tag her dam had when she was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2018.

That was for the Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) Grade 1 American Oaks winner Daddys Lil Darling, and she was also runner-up on four occasions at that level, namely in the Kentucky Oaks, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Alcibiades Stakes and the Ashland Stakes.

No surprise that she was mated with Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) for her first two years at stud, producing Savethelastdance in Ireland and the two-year-old Mr Hampstead in the USA. What is somewhat surprising is that the latter colt was sold as a yearling at Keeneland last September, purchased by Robson Aguiar for $575,000. The latest offspring of Daddys Lil Darling is a filly this year by Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday).

Daddys Lil Darling is the second Grade 1 winner from Miss Hot Salsa (Houston). The first was Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday), and his eight-racing winning career was highlighted by bus success in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. In all, Miss Hot Salsa, a stakes winner and Grade 2-placed herself, bred four winners, the others being stakes winner Victoryasecret (Victory Gallop) and the stakes-placed Four Song Limit (In Excess).

Stakes winners

Savethelastdance’s first four dams are all stakes winners. Her third dam Miss High Blade (Highland Blade) won nine races, seven in stakes, and the best of these was the Grade 3 Countess Fager Handicap at Golden Gate. She bred a pair of stakes winners, and in turn she is an own-sister to Woody Boy Would (Highland Blade). He won 10 times in the USA, six over jumps, and it was in the latter sphere that he got his blacktype, winning the Imperial Cup Hurdle at Aiken.

The fourth dam of Savethelastdance was Darling Miss Q (Alydar). She won the It’s In The Air Stakes at Hollywood Park and after foaling Miss High Blade, Woody Boy Would and others, she was sold to Japan where her best runner was the triple listed winner Wild Bluster (Wild Again).

Nest start for Savethelastdance now is the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom, and while her dam Daddys Lil Darling raced primarily in the USA, she did travel to Epsom in 2017 to run in the Oaks. Trainer Kenny McPeek engaged Olivier Peslier to ride the filly, who was generally a 33/1 shot.

However, she bolted at the start and had to be withdrawn, a huge disappointment for connections. That said, she would have been up against it as that was the year Enable was a five-length winner from Rhododendron.