Appleby lands quick-fire double across the Atlantic to lay down marker for Arc
A fortnight before he is due to field both the Derby winner, Adayar, and St Leger victor, Hurricane Lane, in the Prix de l’arc de Triomphe, Charlie Appleby took North America by storm by winning two Grade Ones within 10 minutes on Saturday.
The trainer, who is less than £100,000 behind Andrew Balding in the domestic trainers’ championship, won the Pattison Canadian International with Walton Street at Woodbine by five lengths under Frankie Dettori from David Simcock’s Desert Encounter, who was bidding for a hat-trick in the race.
It was Dettori’s first visit to the Canadian track for nine years and it buried one hatchet; it was his first Group One winner for Godolphin since Colour Vision won the Ascot
Gold Cup in 2012 when he was still their first jockey.
A few minutes later in New York, Yibir, who was placed in Classic trials this year and won the Great Voltigeur, landed the biggest success of his career, the Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park.
He was under pressure for a long way from Jamie Spencer after breaking slowly, but sprouted wings inside the final furlong to pass the whole field to win by 2½ lengths. Bolshoi Ballet, who was sent off favourite for this year’s Derby and had won at Belmont, was a disappointing fourth. “Yibir didn’t like having someone in the gate with him and was a little apprehensive when they opened,” Spencer said.
“He is a horse who is very responsive. I was concerned early, but even I was surprised with what he did before the quarter pole. I gave him a squeeze and was there a mile too soon. If I had known what I was going to get, I would have waited until halfway down the straight.”