Confident about Pinatubo

TRAINER Charlie Appleby is confident Pinatubo will get a mile next year, when his unbeaten Dewhurst winner will further bid to live up to comparisons with the mighty Frankel.

The son of Shamardal made it six wins from as many starts with a second successive victory at Group One level at Newmarket on Saturday, adding to his nine-length romp in the National Stakes to provide Appleby with a first Dewhurst success.

Though Pinatubo was given a higher juvenile rating than Frankel after his triumph at the Curragh last month, Appleby knows he must shine again next term to match the exploits of the Sir Henry Ceciltrained superstar.

Appleby said: “Pinatubo is not a flashy horse like Frankel was. We all know what an amazing horse he was and he had the stature of being trained by Sir Henry Cecil.

“He is a completely different horse as Frankel was keen to get on with things and that made him have that wow factor.

“Pinatubo is a horse that just goes out there and does it. He has been to Epsom, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and nothing bothers him. You can’t fault him.

“It is great for him to be put in the same sentence as Frankel but he has got to go out and do it again next year.

“What people will be questioning is that he is not the biggest horse in the world but, to me, he is a very neat racehorse that ticks a lot of boxes.”

Given how Pinatubo finished the Dewhurst, his Derby-winning handler expects him to have no problem stepping up from seven furlongs to a mile in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at the Rowley Mile in May.

He said: “William Buick got off and said straight away that the mile would be no problem.

“The good thing about him, which will help him see it out, is that he switches off so well.”