MASAR GOES FOR DOUBLE
Epsom winner set for Irish Derby
TRAINER Charlie Appleby and owner Sheik Mohammed are lining up a Derby double for Saturday’s Epsom hero Masar.
As the chestnut’s lengthand-a-half win sank in yesterday, Appleby revealed it was likely the first Derby winner to carry the Sheik’s Godolphin blue colours would head to the Curragh on June 30 to try to win the Irish equivalent.
Having defeated the massed Aidan O’Brien ranks on Epsom Downs, the clash in Ballydoyle’s backyard could mean a defining re-match for Masar with beaten odds- on favourite Saxon Warrior.
Masar was the decisive and deserved winner on Saturday under jockey William Buick. In contrast Saxon Warrior, the 2,000 Guineas winner with a huge reputation, was a huge disappointment.
How much Masar’s superiority perior-eel was down to him being better able to handle the Epsom experience — temperamentally and physically — will be debated until the two colts meet again on a more conventional track.
But Appleby and Sheik Mohammed are keen to put the matter to rest quickly. Appleby said: ‘I spoke to His Highness and we are both reading off the same page. We will let the dust settle but t we thought the most logical route was to go to the Irish Derby.
‘There is no point dropping Masar back in trip. We have seen what his forte is, so we will carry on down that road.
‘He would obviously be very competitive at a mile-and-aquarter, but having watched the replays, as well as he travelled during the race, the last 100 yards he was going away again.’
It was especially sweet for Appleby that he could deliver for Godolphin, who have been outgunned consistently by O’Brien and his Coolmore Stud backers.
While Godolphin won the 2,000 Guineas in 2013 with Jim Bolger- trained Dawn Approach, Masar’s win was the first Classic for one of their two main Newmarket stables — Saeed Bin Suroor runs the other one — since disgraced trainer Mahmoud Al Zarooni landed the 2012 St Leger with Enke.
Had it not been for Al Zarooni heaping shame on the Godolphin empire in 2013 by using banned anabolic steroids on some of his horses, Appleby would probably have been a backroom boy for ever.
But the 42-year- old, who started out wanting to be a jockey, worked as travelling head lad to Lester Piggott’s trainer wife Susan. He has been with Godolphin for two decades and was promoted when the very future of the Sheik’s organisation was under threat.
Appleby has grasped the unexpected opportunity and recognised the significance to Godolphin of winning the Derby with a homebred colt by their sire New Approach, the 2008 Derby winner.
Appleby said: ‘Being in the operation as long as I have, I know what His Highness wants, what he expects of us and what he would like us to achieve.
‘I got the job in unforeseen circumstances but what I had to do was go out there, be positive and get the ball rolling. With Masar being a homebred, His Highness and (his wife) Princess Haya, who owned New Approach, being there at Epsom, you could not have written the script.’
Appleby was unable to land yesterday’s French Derby. His Buick-ridden colt Key Victory finished eighth to Pascal Bary-trained Study Of Man.
Hunting Horn was sixth and fared the best of O’Brien’s four runners.
ITV’s viewing figures for the Derby were the best for the race since 2012, with a peak audience of 1.8million, up from 1.7m last year.