Group 2 success for With The Moonlight

Already a Grade 3 winner in the US, Frankel filly With The Moonlight added the Group 2 Cape Verdi to her laurels on Friday 3rd February at Meydan.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 4th February 2023:

Sitting just off fellow Godolphin silksbearers White Moonlight and Soft Whisper in third on the backstretch, she began winding up for her run with a half-mile to travel and glided up into contention at the 400-metre mark. Under a busy William Buick ride, she put White Moonlight to the sword inside the final 100 metres to win in game fashion. Samedi Rien (Bated Breath) made up some late ground to take third, another three and three-quarter lengths in arrears.

"She's a really good filly and it was a nice place to start her back," said William Buick. "She was taking on some race-fit fillies here and she'll come on a good bit from that experience."

Highly regarded enough to merit an entry in the Gr.1 Oaks after taking the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket last May, the February-born homebred did not make an impact in that Classic, but proved a different animal Stateside, running McKulick (Frankel) a length and three-quarters in the Gr.1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes in July. She defeated that rival by the same margin in the Gr.3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes a month later, and found just Haughty too good in the Gr.2 Lake Placid Stakes, still at Saratoga,  on 20th August. The Cape Verdi was her first run back.