Flora Of Bermuda finds seven furlongs to her liking

Flora Of Bermuda landed a first win over seven furlongs to open new routes in Group company when outclassing her rivals in the Rolls-Royce Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood.

The Andrew Balding-trained filly had previous plied her trade almost exclusively at six furlongs, placing at Group One level and winning the Group Three Summer Stakes at York last time out.

But opportunities at both six and seven furlongs now beckon for the five-year-old after she produced a solid performance as the 5-2 favourite to land this Group Three contest by a neck from Sayidah Dariyan with Radiant Beauty third.

Distance Extension Unlocks Fresh Options

The Wathnan Racing-owned Flora Of Bermuda sat in sixth place as Zanthos cut out the early running but after starting to make ground at the cutaway, she took it up at the furlong pole and stayed on strongly to the line.

Balding said: “We’ve been thinking about seven furlongs for a bit and this seemed an obvious place to try it.

“She’s been very consistent at a high level throughout her career and is a fantastic filly. She’s done very well physically this year, she has to go in the stalls late and if she has any flaw it is she is not very patient, she’ll go in the stalls OK but just won’t stand there for any longer than 30 seconds.

“Ascot was a bit of a disaster and she fluffed the start, but other than that she is three from three this year.

“You can’t really go abroad with her because of the stalls, she will probably go to the City of York Stakes or the Haydock Sprint Cup. It would be great to win a Group One with her one day and I think if everything drops right for her one time she will.

“She’s amazingly versatile and won the Alice Keppel here on heavy ground and then a few years later this on fast ground.”