Charlie Appleby wasn’t forced to choose between blue and white, had to put his trust in one horse over the other, and faced the bitter disappointment of riding the wrong one during the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas event. G1) April 30 at Newmarket.
All Appleby had to do was get his horses to the first English classic of the season in perfect shape, and as Godolphin’s second string Coroebus sweep over to take the lead in the white cap with steady friends and lovers Indigenous trails Hunting him hard in all blue, the coach can prepare himself for a certain victory.
Such a scenario was expected for Appleby’s horses — beaten first and second to Coolmore’s Luxembourg —And while riders William Buick and James Doyle were left to choose who would ride which horse, the trainer entered the race on a wave of positivity and optimism.
Appleby had had such an opportunity before, had run Masar , Pinatubo and Master of the Seas in Guineas. All were beaten, and Godolphin hadn’t been able to win the classic match against one of the in-house coaches since 1999, when Island Sands scored for Saeed bin Suroor.
This time there will be no mistake, no second game playing or counting on Coolmore – Godolphin’s long-term rival and super-powered teammate – hit the road to the race to build a steed. And this time, it was James Doyle who was able to celebrate the first success of the British classic after playing a small role in the first racer Buick for a long time.
“Absolutely, it’s a relief,” Appleby said. “We’re third with Pinatubo, second with Master of The Seas, so we’re getting closer and we hope our time has come.
“I said to James, ‘Hold him, hold him, hold him, and then push the button,’ and he just had an electric foot swing. I’m so happy for James and he’s going to have an impact. First classics for us special.
“James is a great member of the team, because he has to sit there when William hits the top races. He never falters, he never shyes away and he’s just an athlete. He really deserves it. What I love about him is that he sits there while William picks the horses and, while they will have lovely second rides. , he’s got the character to then go out there and give all he’s got on these horses.”
Appleby also paid tribute to the wider team at his Moulton Paddocks and Sheikh Mohammed was notably absent from the Rowley Mile even as his championship coach continued to push Godolphin forward. in a way that has barely been possible since the halcyon days of the early 21st century .
“I’m delighted for Sheikh Mohammed and His Godolphin Team,” Appleby said. “I don’t want to stand here and say I was too cool to go to school, but it was really a team effort with everyone at home. I was just the one who did the interviews and was given the opportunity. to train these horses.”
Coroebus, son of Dubai outside the group of 3 winners Teofilo The mare’s first victory.
“I’d say we’re going straight to St. James’s Palace (G1) with Coroebus and we’re going to Curragh for (Tattersalls) Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) with the Indigenous Trail where he did a great job. before,” the trainer added.
While Appleby is aiming for the top races, the Cazoo Derby (G1) in Epsom is where Luxembourg and Eydon are set to come in first after finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Eydon’s trainer, Roger Varian, plans to speak with owner Prince Faisal before next steps are decided.
“Eydon ran a big race, as it was only his second race on grass and the three before him were previous group winners,” said Varina. “He’s in two Derby and we could go with him, but whether it’s up to a mile and a half we’ll see. We’ll let Prince Faisal announce the results before we do. Give decision.”
