Charlie Appleby

William Buick will have fewer easier rides than he enjoyed on Godolphin's Wise Approach (Mehmas) as the TDN Rising Star dispatched his rivals in Friday's Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury. Off the mark in April's Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial EBF Conditions Stakes before disappointing at York and rebounding to be second in the Norfolk last month, the half-brother to Perfect Power cruised from behind to seize control a furlong out and inflict a four-length beating on Rock On Thunder (Night Of Thunder). "He ran a good race at Ascot,...

Picked by William Buick from the two Godolphin hopes for Saturday's G2 Superlative Stakes, Saba Desert (Dubawi) justified that call to continue connections' run of success at Newmarket's July Festival. Swooping late to deny the 4-6 favourite Italy (Wootton Bassett), the grandson of the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Gossamer defied a market drift to 6-1 to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths and deliver a fourth renewal to his sire who won this himself in 2004. "We went to Sandown with a lot of confidence and William said he had felt...

Newmarket's July Festival winds up on Saturday, with the feature G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup the stage for the potential reinvention of Godolphin's Notable Speech (Dubawi). Luckily for him and unfortunately for the rest of us, he has no international heavyweights to deal with in a renewal that looks a bit light on its usual quality. With the main protagonists of the Commonwealth Cup, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and King's Stand all absent, this looks one of the most winnable editions for some time and it will...

Newmarket's Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes has a rich history and Friday's renewal had the right feel to it as Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) emerged to become the race's fourth straight TDN Rising Star. Whether Godolphin's €1.9million Arqana May Breeze-Up topper will be more Field Of Gold than Epictetus and Arabic Legend remains to be seen, but there was much to like about the way her battled by Ballydoyle's Constitution River (Wootton Bassett) with the pair clear. "He's been straightforward since he's arrived and full credit to the people...

Almost a bigger name in the States than she is in her native Britain, Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal) gained her first Group 1 on home soil on Friday as she mastered Newmarket's Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes. Runner-up in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes last month, the 5-2 second favourite put that behind her by upstaging Ballydoyle's 6-4 market-leader January (Kingman) by half a length in the mile feature. "We're very much going to work back from the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf," Charlie Appleby said of Godolphin's breakthrough first Falmouth...

Making her mark on a banner day for connections, Godolphin homebred Crimson Rose (Lope De Vega) powered to a four-length victory in Thursday's British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket. The 7-2 chance, a June 19 debut third at Chelmsford last time, was swiftly into stride and stalked the pace in a handy third through the initial stages. Bounding forward from the foot of the hill, she seized control approaching the final furlong and was ridden clear on the rise to outpoint Country Artiste (Supremacy)...

The Godolphin-Appleby-Buick triumvirate was in celebratory mood for a third time on the opening day of Newmarket's July Festival after TDN Rising Star Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) doubled his stakes tally with a decisive success in the Listed Edmondson Hall Solicitors Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. "It's easy to say after the event, but I'd have been disappointed if he'd got beat," Appleby said. "He's a very exciting horse we thought a lot of in the spring and even in the winter to be fair. He shows signs of his father as...

With chief rival Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit) scratched during the preliminaries, jockey William Buick seized the opportunity of registering a 2,000th British winner aboard Godolphin's ultra-consistent El Cordobes (Frankel) in Thursday's Kingdom Of Bahrain-sponsored G2 Princess Of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket. "To do it on my home track for Godolphin and Charlie [Appleby], makes it particularly special," said Buick after his landmark achievement in a contest which comes with a free ticket to the G1 Caulfield Cup. "The favourite [Ghostwriter] came out, but this horse really deserved it," the rider added....

Charlie Appleby was expected to take Friday's seven-furlong novice at Sandown, but it was the stable's second-string Pacifica Pier who came out on top in one for the notebooks. Unleashed by James Doyle to take control a furlong out, the 13-2 shot stayed on strongly to record a half-length success from the eyecatcher of all eyecatchers, Juddmonte's Publish (Kingman). There was another 3/4-of-a-length margin back to Godolphin's favourite Key Of Magic (Justify) in third. "He's a big boy to sit on and I had to nurse him along and wait...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a son of Justify in the Godolphin blue. 2.25 Sandown, Novice, £40,000, 2yo, 7fT KEY OF MAGIC (Justify) is the pick of Charlie Appleby's duo for this race he has won in two of the last three years at the track where Ruling Court debuted in...

Bringing an end to a three-year winless streak at Royal Ascot for Charlie Appleby, Dubawi's international heavyweight Rebel's Romance landed the required knockout blow in Saturday's G2 Hardwicke Stakes. Always travelling easily behind the genuine pace, the 6-4 favourite took control two out and drew away under William Buick to beat Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett) by 1 3/4 lengths, with Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit) 1 1/2 lengths away in third. "He's a worldwide superstar--I have a picture of him on my bedside table, he means so much to us," commented Appleby, whose last...

Godolphin ran one-two in the seven-furlong Newmarket opener just not with the horse the market expected, as Pacific Avenue (Dubawi) stole a march on his Charlie Appleby stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) to earn a 'Rising Star' badge of his own. Godolphin's Ancient Truth (Dubawi) won the 2024 edition of this race prior to taking the G2 Superlative Stakes and running third in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes. The son of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine and fellow 'Rising Star' Lumiere (Shamardal) settled in a tugging...