Charlie Appleby
Ruling Court has been ruled out of Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby after trainer Charlie Appleby judged the ground to be too slow for the son of Justify. The 2,000 Guineas winner had been due to start as one of the favourites. "The ground conditions were a concern yesterday with Desert Flower. William said yesterday it was genuinely good-to-soft, but we appreciated that it was drying out through the course of the day," he explained. "We arrived here today with an open mind, let William ride the first race, but he...
Godolphin's£720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate Maximized (Mehmas) delivered a TDN Rising Star display in his debut over six furlongs at Haydock last month and, burdened with a five-pound penalty for that initial victory, doubled his tally with a dominant performance in Friday's former stakes-level Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred lined up as the 6-5 favourite and was swiftly into stride to track the leaders in a share of third through the early fractions. Rowed along to gain an edge passing the quarter-mile marker, he...
After the draw had been made for Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby in Epsom's Picture House on Wednesday, Team Godolphin were relieved that one box had been ticked regarding their G1 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court. Set to exit from a favourable stall in seven, the son of Justify now has only to navigate the race's notorious twists and turns and bottlenecks and stay the mile and a half. "We have always felt that the 2,000 Guineas is one of the best trials for the Derby and Ruling Court has trained...
One of the spring's most exciting prospects, Godolphin's Opera Ballo had suffered a bump in the road when sixth in the Craven but bounced back in style in Thursday's Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown. Always travelling with gusto as William Buick tried to curb the enthusiasm, the son of Ghaiyyath who had impressed on his first two starts at Kempton to earn TDN Rising Star status moved to the front approaching the furlong pole. Strong at the line, the 5-4 favourite had registered an authoritative 2 1/2-length success from New...
Backing up successfully a week after his win in Newbury's Listed Carnarvon Stakes, Godolphin's Symbol Of Honour showed courage as well as class to earn a narrow verdict in Saturday's G2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock. Anchored in rear early by William Buick, the 2-1 favourite was moved through to challenge Arabian Dusk inside the final half a furlong and mastered that Havana Grey filly close home for a short-head success. Gelded already, Symbol Of Honour cannot go to the G1 Commonwealth Cup as is customary for the winner of...
Godolphin homebred Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot), who is a half-brother to G1 Middle Park Stakes winners Shadow Of Light and Earthlight, went postward as the even-money favourite for Friday's Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Novice Stakes at Haydock and never gave supporters a moment's worry, coming home with an impressive five-length buffer to attain TDN Rising Star status on debut. Positioned in a close-up second for most of this seven-furlong contest, he loomed large hard on the bridle with three furlongs remaining and quickened clear in taking fashion once...
Godolphin's recent £720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up acquisition Maximized (Mehmas) yielded a swift return on investment with a performance worthy of TDN Rising Stardom in Thursday's Betfred "Follow Us On X" EBF Novice Stakes over six furlongs at Haydock. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred went postward as an 11-2 chance and broke well to stalk the pace in second from the outset of this debut. Looming large before inching ahead passing the quarter-mile marker, he quickened impressively to settle the contest in a matter of strides approaching the final furlong and kept...
Everyone and their dog knew about Godolphin's newcomer Treanmor at Newmarket on Sunday and the €2million Goffs Orby Book 1 topper disappointed nobody as he became Frankel's 43rd TDN Rising Star. Sent off the 30-100 favourite for the opening six-furlong novice, the Charlie Appleby-trained son of Invincible Spirit's Listed scorer and dual Group 3-placed Loch Lein travelled with ease behind the pace before being launched by William Buick two out. Surging to the front and into the clear, he had four lengths to spare over fellow newcomer Vlad by A'Ali...
4th-Newmarket, £40,000, Novice, 5-17, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:12.82, g/f. DANCE TO THE MUSIC (GB) (f, 2, Dubawi {Ire}--Miss Lucifer {Fr} {GSW-Eng, $193,403}, by Noverre), a full-sister to the yard's triple top-level-winning Breeders' Cup Mile hero Space Blues, raced close to the early pace. Green running into the dip, the 2-1 second favourite battled gamely to overhaul Eskimo Pie in the final yards to earn a length verdict over that daughter of Kodi Bear. Miss Lucifer, who captured the G2 Challenge Stakes, produced as her first foal Elusive Quality's G2 Al...
Friday's G2 Boodles Yorkshire Cup was run at little more than a crawl and played directly into the lap of Godolphin's seven-time elite-level winner Rebel's Romance (Dubawi), who fared best in a five-runner battle of wits. The globetrotting seven-year-old, who had notched victories at the highest grade in four different countries, lobbed along in second as Coolmore's 2023 G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Heart's Cry) set sedate fractions on the front end. Sent wide towards the stands' side rail in early straight, the crowd's 11-10 pick inched ahead with three...
It was very much a case of that man again early doors at Arqana after Norman Williamson, who sold recent 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court at this breeze-up sale 12 months ago, set the early tempo when his Maxfield colt went the way of Godolphin for a cool €1 million. It proved to be another shrewd piece of business for the man behind Oak Tree Farm given he sourced the colt at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for just $70,000 last year. Anthony Stroud, who signed for lot 5 on...
NEWMARKET, UK -- "Awesome, awesome, awesome," chanted William Buick after galloping off across Newmarket Heath with Desert Flower, beyond the winning post, into history. When Good Cheer slipped through the slop at Churchill Downs on Friday evening, few could have predicted how many more cheers were to come for the global Godolphin team, in the Kentucky gloom and the chilly Suffolk sunshine. A Classic double double, the breadth of which has surely not been seen before, despite the extraordinary achievements of some of Godolphin's regular rivals among the vast owner-breeder...