Charlie Appleby

Whatever the week ahead at Royal Ascot brings, there is one certainty and that is Aidan O'Brien stretching what's possible even further from the centre. Let's get this out of the way first; the current master of Ballydoyle will undeniably form his own one-man club at some point over the next five days with his 100th Royal winner. It is a club so exclusive that it will likely see no other member for decades, with the County Wexford-born nonpareil still a relative youth in the training ranks. Ironically, his shortest-priced...

Charlie Appleby trainee Inner City Blues (Blue Point), who was Godolphin's sole purchase during this year's breeze-up season, was making his third pass through a sales ring when becoming the €900,000 top-priced colt at last month's Arqana Breeze-Up sale, having previously sold for €180,000 as a Goffs November foal and 375,000gns as a Tattersalls Book 1 yearling. The grandson of G3 Prix Eclipse victrix Souvenir Delondres (Siyouni) was all at sea during the initial stages of Saturday's Tomahawk Restaurants Supporting Macmillan EBF Maiden at York, but delivered a knockout blow...

If it weren't for messrs Bow Echo and Gstaad, Talk Of New York may have been the talk of Royal Ascot if the way the son of Wootton Bassett went through Sandown's Listed Heron Stakes is a guide. So impressive was Godolphin's much-vaunted son of the high-class Usherette (Shamardal) on Thursday evening, he may even be able to upset the big two or at least get in the argument in the St James's Palace Stakes for which this race is always a key guide. Produced to storm clear of his Horris Hill-winning...

Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) and Abashiri (Frankel) are in contention to represent Godolphin in the first Irish Classics of the season at the Curragh this weekend, with both having pleased Charlie Appleby since their respective outings at Newmarket earlier this month. Distant Storm finished third behind Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) when sent off the 3/1 joint-favourite for the 2,000 Guineas and could be given the chance to upgrade that finishing position in the Irish equivalent on Saturday. Appleby won the 2022 edition of the Irish...

Godolphin's Opera Ballo will not contest the G1 Prix Aga Khan IV versus the Aga Khan Studs' Daryz (Sea The Stars), and will instead be aimed at the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, according to trainer Charlie Appleby. "We were looking towards the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) but we're now going to go straight to the Queen Anne," said Appleby of the G1 Jebel Hatta-winning son of Ghaiyyath, who landed the G2 Mile at Sandown in April. "There are a couple of reasons behind it, firstly...

Godolphin's 2024 G1 2000 Guineas hero and multiple elite-level winner Notable Speech (Dubawi) was sent postward as the heavily-supported 2-1 favourite for Saturday's G1 Boyle Sports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and the TDN Rising Star unleashed an explosive display to outclass nine rivals in the one-mile feature. "It was a great training performance by Charlie [Appleby] and to bring him back in this form is a credit to everyone at home," beamed William Buick. "It was all falling apart in front of me, but he was explosive and is an...

Ballydoyle's Precise (Starspangledbanner) will face 18 peers in Sunday's G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, with Ryan Moore set to partner the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile winner for the first time. She is drawn two for the mile Classic, with one of her chief rivals Venetian Sun (Starman) next door in stall one furthest away from the stands' rail. Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Prix Morny winner is one of two in the race for Karl Burke, with her regular rider Clifford Lee maintaining the partnership. Burke's other runner...

Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) will face 14 rivals as he carries the silks of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid in Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Unbeaten at two, the George Boughey-trained G2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner is the current favourite under Billy Loughnane who is looking for a first Classic victory, with that position at the head of the market not guaranteed now that Ballydoyle and Godolphin's plans are confirmed. Bow Echo was drawn on the wing in 15 nearest the stand's rail, the position of last...

Godolphin's G1 Jebel Hatta hero Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) was like greased lightning exiting the stalls in Friday's G2 Bet365 Mile and, having stolen a march on his five rivals, made all to defeat G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes winner Field Of Gold (Kingman) by a mightily impressive three lengths in a stellar renewal of the Sandown feature. "William [Buick] and I were chatting away yesterday and there wasn't a pace angle declared, so we said let him do what his father did and jump and...

Globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Rebel's Romance will defend his G2 Hardwicke Stakes crown at Royal Ascot next, according to trainer Charlie Appleby. The gelding was withdrawn from the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic prior to the race at the end of March. Appleby told the Press Association, "He's heading to the Hardwicke. I didn't think he could beat Calandagan (Gleneagles) in the Dubai Sheema Classic which is why we didn't take him over there for World Cup night and I think the Hardwicke is the right spot to start him...

Taking no prisoners in Thursday's 10-furlong novice at Newmarket, Godolphin's Maho Bay (Dubawi) dominated proceedings to become Dubawi's 49th TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Sent off the 11-10 favourite having won his Kempton maiden in December by six lengths, the son of the Natalma Stakes winner La Pelosa (Dandy Man) stretched to an impressive 3 1/2-length success from Ballydoyle's Amadeus Mozart (Wootton Bassett), with the Gosdens' Guildmaster (Teofilo) another 1 3/4 lengths away in third. "He's a big powerful horse, so there was no point messing around and I...

Last seen running third in Meydan's Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas, Godolphin homebred and leading G1 2000 Guineas contender Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett) made a winning European return with a TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard, performance in Tuesday's Federation Of Bloodstock Agents EBF Conditions Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket. "We needed to get back on track and today was a day where we were just focused on relaxing him and if he got beat he got beat," explained trainer Charlie Appleby. "We wanted him to settle and...