NATIVE LEADS BLUES CRUISE FOR APPLEBY
NATIVE TRAIL goes into his winter quarters as the 5-2 favourite for next year’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas after preserving his perfect record in Newmarket’s Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.
The victory capped a perfect day for trainer Charlie Appleby, who left the Rowley Mile with the first two in the Guineas betting – Coroebus ran away with the Group 3 Autumn Stakes – and a Derby hope, courtesy of Goldspur’s Group 3 Zetland Stakes win.
The hat-trick also propelled Godolphin’s trainer past Andrew
Balding at the top of the trainers’ table – he now has a lead in excess of £300,000 – as Appleby seeks to land the title for the first time.
Sent off at 5-6 to add to his success in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh last month, Native Trail responded to William Buick’s calls – the jockey became animated with three of the seven furlongs remaining – to beat Dubawi Legend by two lengths.
“Had he not won the National Stakes in a similar sort of fashion – under the pump at halfway – I would probably have been a bit twitchy,” said Appleby. “But, knowing how this horse is, I was comfortable because he wasn’t doing a stroke. He was just going through the motions.
“I was confident, once William had moved out, that there was one thing this horse wasn’t going to do, and that was stop galloping.”
Coroebus is 5-1 second choice for the first Classic of 2022 after sweeping to a two-length Autumn Stakes supremacy under Buick.
“I do like Coroebus. He’s a supreme traveller,” Appleby added.
“You cannot fault what Native Trail has done but as three-year-olds, when the pace of the races gets quicker in these Classics, what you’ve got to be able to do is travel.
“And that’s what Coroebus does.”
Goldspur edged out Unconquerable by a head for the Zetland Stakes to earn a 16-1 quote for the Derby next June, and could step up to the top level for Criterium de Saint Cloud on Saturday.
OISIN MURPHY, stood down before racing on
Friday after failing a breath test, captured the Cesarewitch aboard the Nicky Henderson-trained Buzz to lead William Buick by seven winners in the jockeys’ title race, which concludes at Ascot on Saturday.