IT’S A WILD RIDE FOR APPLEBY
The golden year for trainer Charlie Appleby continued as William Buick made all on Wild Illusion to win the Qatar Nassau Stakes.
The 4-1 shot’s two-length win from Urban Fox made it six Group One wins this year for Godolphin’s Appleby.
The most prestigious was Masar’s Derby win and, after winning three top-level races in Dubai, Appleby also won the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot with Blue Point before yesterday’s success.
‘This has been a stellar season, no doubt about it, but it is where Godolphin should be,’ said Appleby.
Wild Illusion had finished second in the Oaks and the Ribblesdale Stakes, with Buick feeling she had not stayed the mile and a half both times. That probably makes ante-post quotes for the Yorkshire Oaks redundant but the tenfurlong Prix De L’Opera at Lonchamp’s Arc meeting in October will be on the agenda. Buick said: ‘We have been riding her the correct way but possibly running her over the wrong trip. She is only going to keep on developing and progressing hopefully.’
Third-placed Veracious was outstayed, while 1,000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook never landed a blow in fourth.
But 15-8 favourite Rhododendron was last of six, illustrating the current in-and-out form of the string of trainer Aidan O’Brien. The performance came after stablemate Land Force landed the Richmond Stakes under Ryan Moore. David egan (left), last year’s champion apprentice, recently decided to relinquish his apprentice status and sacrifice the certainty he would retain his title to be become a fully fledged professional. So it was timely that the 19-year-old landed his biggest winner when Pilaster triumphed in the Group Two Lily Langtree Stakes. Winning trainer Roger Varian believes that Pilaster has a big future and is certain that egan has. he said: ‘he has an old head on young shoulders. he is very young but as classy as the filly.’
Yorkshire trainer Richard Fahey, who had started regarding Glorious Goodwood as his ‘bogey meeting’, ended his four-year drought when More Than This won the Telegraph Nursery under a canny front-running ride from Paul hanagan.
TRAINeR Karl Burke will plan a programme for his threetime Group One winning filly Laurens after the Yorkshire Oaks at York on August 23, a first try at a mile and a half for the French Oaks winner. Burke said: ‘If she shows she stays, we will go for the Prix Vermeille and then the Arc.’
CALL TO MIND will return to the Queen’s stud after being pulled up in Tuesday’s Goodwood Cup. Trainer William haggas said: ‘he suffered a ruptured tendon but he’s fine. he will go to Sandringham next week and will hopefully have another career.’