Hawkbill will need ‘A game’ to beat Cracksman
Godolphin trainer Appleby confident his stable flag-bearer can shine at Royal Ascot
Epsom Derby winning handler Charlie Appleby is hoping that Hawkbill will bring his “A game” to Royal Ascot when he runs in the £750,000 (Dh3.6 million) Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1), the richest race at the five-day summer showpiece in Britain.
The Kentucky-bred son of Kitten’s Joy delivered a disappointing effort on his last start in the Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom, but Appleby is confident the five-year-old can rediscover his old spark in today’s feature event.
“We were slightly disappointed with Hawkbill’s run at Epsom, as he had his ground there,” said the Godolphin handler who is seeking a fifth Royal Ascot victory.
“He is becoming more versatile as he gets older and has put up decent performances on quick ground as well as soft ground. He has been a great campaigner for Godolphin — he has won 10 of his 21 starts and more than £3-million in prize money.
“He does get himself worked up, but he got a bit more worked up as well and maybe there was a bit of freshness as well that day because he had a break since the Sheema Classic victory in Dubai,” Appleby added.
“He’s come out of the race very well and Hawkbill is Hawkbill — when he brings his A game, he is a hard horse to pass.”
Seeking eighth win
And it will take Hawkbill’s best performance if he hopes to outshine four-time Group 1 winner, Cracksman.
John Gosden’s four-yearold is the 8-13 favourite to win the mile and one contest and supply his handler with a fifth win in the race. Cracksman is also attempting to secure his eighth win from 10 starts.
Godolphin are the leading joint leading owner in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with five wins courtesy Faithful Son (1998), Dubai Millennium (2000), Fantastic Light (2001), Grandera (2002) and Rewilding (2011). Meanwhile, Godolphin’s Saeed Bin Surour teams up with French champion Christophe Soumillon who will partner Promising Run, in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.