COR, WHAT A SCORCHER!
COROEBUS inflicted a first defeat on Charlie Appleby stablemate Native Trail in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas to end jockey James Doyle’s 17-year wait for victory in a first British Classic.
The 34-year-old has plied his trade in the weighing room’s highest echelon since securing the first Group 1 race of his career aboard Al Kazeem at the Curragh in May 2013.
But top jobs with boss
Khalid Abdullah – Doyle finished second aboard the Saudi prince’s Kingman in the 2,000 Guineas eight years ago – and Saeed bin Suroor didn’t work, leaving Doyle second to the Dubaian’s Godolphin trainer Appleby.
With William Buick opting to partner Appleby’s champion two-year-old and yesterday’s 5-4 favourite Native Trail, Doyle – also second aboard Barney Roy in the colts’ Classic of 2017, feared he would again chase his best mate home on 5-1 third choice Coroebus. But, having driven Coroebus to the front a furlong out – the pair fended off their stable companion by three parts of a length, a tearful Doyle said: “This race has always been something that has annoyed me.
“Looking at replays of Kingman’s Guineas, Barney Roy’s Guineas – and then it goes so simple, the way it has today.
“You have a few years on the sidelines a bit, when you have previously had a good time of getting to feel what it is like to win these big races, and, when you don’t for a little while, it does frustrate you.
“When you do feel it, it’s incredible. William is a great friend of mine and he would have known this meant a lot. He came up and said, ‘You deserve that – well done.’”
This got Appleby (above), who captured his first trainers’ title last season, a first 2,000 Guineas to go with three British Classic wins.
The 46-year-old said: “I’m delighted for James – he’s an integral part of the team.”