Appleby heaps praise on team after magical Meydan night
dubai — On a night when Estihdaaf and North America landed the big prize, the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas and Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge respectively, Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick stood out by saddling three winners in the sixth race meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
After warming up with Dubhe winning the Al Naboodah Honeywell Partnership, a course and distance prep for the $1.5 million Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup, the pair oversaw Nordic Lights’ victory in the Al Naboodah Travel, with both the races being turf affairs.
The duo then rounded off Thursday night in stellar fashion with Mubtasim galloping to victory in the Al Naboodah Cargo, also run on turf. The five-year-old from Arcano, Mubtasim won by 0.75 lengths over Poet’s Society.
It swelled Appleby’s tally at the top of the trainers standings to 10 victories just after the halfway point of the Dubai World Cup Carnival. The Englishman’s triple triumphs as well Estihdaaf’s victory for Emirati trainer Saeed bin Suroor meant it was four wins on the night as well as 15 victories for the racing operation.
And Appleby gave credit to his team for the success. “I have got to give a lot of credit to the team. Brett Doyle rides Mubtasim out every day and has done a great job,” said Appleby, who enjoyed a path-breaking season last year which saw him being crowned International Trainer of the Year, following Masar and Cross Counter’s wins at the Epsom Derby and the Melbourne Cup respectively.
About Mubtasim, Appleby, who saddled 12 of Godolphin’s 30 international Group 1 winners last season, said: “Mubtasim has been a keen horse and, from what we have seen of him, he travels well into his races, sometimes a bit too well, and doesn’t see it out. We were anxious to get up there from that draw. It was always going to be
I have got to give a lot of credit to the team. Brett Doyle rides Mubtasim out every day and has done a great job
Charlie Appleby
a bit tricky, so I told William to keep it simple and it was a great ride from the front. Mubtasim is a hard horse to assess because I work him on his own at home, because he is so keen.
“Going into tonight, I did not really have a work angle on him, apart from the fact he was striding out well and Brett was pleased with where the horse was. He has got a bit of boot, but we will get him back home first and regroup.”
The 43-year-old was also delighted with how his horses have progressed. “I knew on the first night of the Carnival that we were not quite where we needed to be, but there is no harm in that as you like to see horses progress through a Carnival. From the first week, the horses have done nothing but thrive and, hopefully, we can keep this momentum going,” he said.
Meanwhile, Buick said that good break helped Mubtasim.
“Mubtasim was great out of the gates and got a completely clean break. Charlie gave me an open canvas, though the one thing he did not want to see was me pulling the horse back. He is a big horse and I wanted to let him use himself,” said Buick.
“He was always within himself, perhaps a little bit exuberant, but he saw it really well and it was a good performance. He is an energetic horse, incredibly honest, and puts it all in. It has been a great night and long may it continue,” he added.