Favourite is beaten by stablemate
COROEBUS led home stablemate and hot favourite Native Trail to provide trainer Charlie Appleby with a one-two in Saturday’s 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Moulton Paddocks handler appeared to hold the ace hand in his bid for a first victory in the Rowley Mile Classic, with last season’s champion juvenile Native Trail the 5-4 favourite to keep his unbeaten record intact and Coroebus also prominent in the market at 5-1.
With the pair on opposite sides of the track at the start, they raced wide apart for much of the straight-mile, with William Buick the first to get vigorous aboard Native Trail on the stands side.
James Doyle, on the other hand, was able to wait until the furlong marker to pop Coroebus, below, the question and he found plenty racing out of the dip to win by three-quarters of a length.
Having been under a ride from an early stage, Aidan O’Brien’s Derby favourite Luxembourg made eyecatching late gains to third.
Appleby said: “Coming into the race I felt we had two contenders.
The draw didn’t worry me. They were good horses racing over a straight line, just keep it simple.
“Like any good horse he has a lot of natural pace and when they have that aligned with the physique you can’t help but get excited about them.”
Appleby added: “We’ll split them up now. It’s a nice discussion, but the winner I expect will go to the St James’s Palace and Native Trail will go back to the Curragh where he’s already won before, he’ll go for the Irish Guineas.”
■ Cachet made all in the Qipco 1000 Guineas on Sunday to give trainer George Boughey his first Classic success.
Remarkably, it was a second Classic of the weekend for rider James Doyle – just 24 hours on from his maiden one aboard Coroebus in the 2000 Guineas.
Winner of the Nell Gwyn at the Craven meeting, the Highclereowned daughter of Aclaim was sent off a 16-1, but led from the stalls opening and was never passed, despite the strong late challenge provided by Ralph Beckett’s Prosperous Voyage.
A jubilant Boughey, 30, said: “It was a long final furlong, but it was a peach of a ride from James. She eyed up every blade of grass, she loves it here.”