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Godolphin on course for Craven meeting and quick start to Flat season Godolphin on course for Craven meeting and quick start to Flat season
(35 minutes later)
Godolphin lost a Classic contender earlier this week when Charming Thought, the Middle Park Stakes winner, was ruled out of the 2,000 Guineas, but the royal blue silks will be highly visible in the early weeks of the new Flat season on turf with both Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor confirming here on Thursday that they will send significant teams of horses to the Craven meeting at Newmarket in mid-April. Godolphin lost a Classic contender earlier this week when Charming Thought, the Middle Park Stakes winner, was ruled out of the 2,000 Guineas but the royal blue silks will be highly visible in the early weeks of the new Flat season on turf with Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor confirming here on Thursday they will send significant teams of horses to the Craven meeting at Newmarket in mid-April.
The growing influence of the Qatari al-Thani family on the British turf has been a feature of recent Flat seasons, while Godolphin, a dominant force until a decade ago, suffered the huge blow of the Mahmood al-Zarooni doping scandal in the spring of 2013. Last season, Appleby finished 13th in the trainers’ championship, while Suroor, the champion four times between 1996 and 2004, was 12th.The growing influence of the Qatari al-Thani family on the British turf has been a feature of recent Flat seasons, while Godolphin, a dominant force until a decade ago, suffered the huge blow of the Mahmood al-Zarooni doping scandal in the spring of 2013. Last season, Appleby finished 13th in the trainers’ championship, while Suroor, the champion four times between 1996 and 2004, was 12th.
In terms of numbers, however, the combined strength of Godolphin’s two stables in Newmarket is the largest team of thoroughbreds in the game, and Sheikh Mohammed, Godolphin’s founder, made a statement of intent for the new season with a £30m spending spree at Tattersalls Book One Sale last autumn, the most important bloodstock auction in Europe. He also recruited James Doyle and William Buick to ride as Godolphin’s principal jockeys, a further sign that the operation is looking firmly towards the future. In terms of numbers, however, the combined strength of Godolphin’s two stables in Newmarket is the largest team of thoroughbreds in the game, and Sheikh Mohammed, Godolphin’s founder, made a statement of intent for the new season with a £30m spending spree at Tattersalls Book One Sale last autumn, the most important bloodstock auction in Europe. He also recruited James Doyle and William Buick to ride as Godolphin’s principal jockeys, a further sign the operation is looking firmly towards the future.
Appleby’s Moulton Paddocks stable, meanwhile, previously almost empty during the winter as horses wintered in Dubai, has led the way on the all-weather circuit with more than 70 winners and a 38% strike-rate. The intention is to maintain that momentum when the trainer returns to Newmarket after the Dubai World Cup meeting on Saturday. “From a team perspective, the winter has been great,” Appleby said here on Thursday. “Saeed has had a great team out here [in Dubai] and James is the champion jockey [of Dubai’s winter season], and it’s been very productive back in the UK as well. Appleby’s Moulton Paddocks stable, meanwhile, previously almost empty during the winter as horses wintered in Dubai, has led the way on the all-weather circuit with more than 70 winners and a 38% strike rate. The intention is to maintain that momentum when the trainer returns to Newmarket after the Dubai World Cup meeting on Saturday. “From a team perspective, the winter has been great,” Appleby said here on Thursday. “Saeed has had a great team out here [in Dubai] and James is the champion jockey [of Dubai’s winter season], and it’s been very productive back in the UK as well.
“We hadn’t done that before. I’ve been commuting back on a weekly basis and it’s a different atmosphere there now. Normally it’s a bit dormant for four months but this year there’s a great vibe in there, and the horses look great and they’ve been running great.“We hadn’t done that before. I’ve been commuting back on a weekly basis and it’s a different atmosphere there now. Normally it’s a bit dormant for four months but this year there’s a great vibe in there, and the horses look great and they’ve been running great.
“That can only propel us into the start of the turf season, and the aim is to get some consistency throughout the season. We don’t want to see too many of those spikes [in form], and sometimes we’ve got back in the spring and it’s been a bit quiet.”“That can only propel us into the start of the turf season, and the aim is to get some consistency throughout the season. We don’t want to see too many of those spikes [in form], and sometimes we’ve got back in the spring and it’s been a bit quiet.”
With Charming Thought now being aimed towards Royal Ascot after a minor setback, Suroor’s Maftool, who took the UAE 2,000 Guineas in February and runs in the UAE Derby here on Saturday, could be considered for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Suroor also expects to test several of his string at the Craven meeting, however, while Appleby will also be represented at the two-day meeting, which has been controversially dropped from the reckoning in the remodelled Flat jockeys’ championship. With Charming Thought now being aimed towards Royal Ascot after a minor setback, Suroor’s Maftool, who took the UAE 2,000 Guineas in February and runs in the UAE Derby here on Saturday, could be considered for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Suroor also expects to test several of his string at the Craven meeting, while Appleby will also be represented at the two-day meeting, which has been controversially dropped from the reckoning in the remodelled Flat jockeys’ championship.
“We’ve got a few horses to take there,” Appleby said. “There’s Secret Brief, who won a valuable sales race [at Newmarket in October], he could go towards either the Craven Stakes [over the 2,000 Guineas distance of a mile] or the Fielden [Stakes, over nine furlongs], and also a horse called Jungle Cat, who was with Mark Johnston last year. We might look at the Free Handicap or the Greenham [Stakes at Newbury] for him depending on the ground.” “We’ve got a few horses to take there,” Appleby said. “There’s Secret Brief, who won a valuable sales race [at Newmarket in October], he could go towards either the Craven Stakes [over the 2,000 Guineas distance of a mile] or the Feilden [Stakes, over nine furlongs], and also a horse called Jungle Cat, who was with Mark Johnston last year. We might look at the Free Handicap or the Greenham [Stakes at Newbury] for him depending on the ground.”
Another interesting recruit to Appleby’s yard is Sir Fever, who won the Triple Crown in Uruguay last year and also contests the UAE Derby on Saturday, a race for which he is qualified as a southern hemisphere three-year-old despite being classed as a four-year-old north of the Equator.Another interesting recruit to Appleby’s yard is Sir Fever, who won the Triple Crown in Uruguay last year and also contests the UAE Derby on Saturday, a race for which he is qualified as a southern hemisphere three-year-old despite being classed as a four-year-old north of the Equator.
“The last horse to win the Triple Crown down there was Invasor [who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic],” Appleby said. “We were pleased with his first run [in Dubai, when second to the Mubtaahij, another UAE Derby runner], we learned a lot about him and William was delighted when he got off, so that was very encouraging.“The last horse to win the Triple Crown down there was Invasor [who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic],” Appleby said. “We were pleased with his first run [in Dubai, when second to the Mubtaahij, another UAE Derby runner], we learned a lot about him and William was delighted when he got off, so that was very encouraging.
“He’s a horse we purchased for this year, but more importantly, he’s a horse with a future as well, he’s a big, raw horse and he can only improve with age.”“He’s a horse we purchased for this year, but more importantly, he’s a horse with a future as well, he’s a big, raw horse and he can only improve with age.”
Suroor’s main target on Saturday night is the $10m Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race, in which he saddles last year’s winner, African Story. In 19 previous runnings of the World Cup, no horse has recorded a second victory, but African Story will be only the second to attempt to do so and has been a springer in the market in recent days. Suroor’s main target on Saturday night is the $10m Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race, in which he saddles last year’s winner, African Story. In 19 runnings of the World Cup, no horse has recorded a second victory, but African Story will be only the second to attempt to do so and has been a springer in the market in recent days.
Silvestre de Sousa was in the saddle 12 months ago but his relationship with Suroor began to sour soon afterwards and it is Doyle, who will be mainly riding for Suroor’s yard this season, who takes the reins on Saturday.Silvestre de Sousa was in the saddle 12 months ago but his relationship with Suroor began to sour soon afterwards and it is Doyle, who will be mainly riding for Suroor’s yard this season, who takes the reins on Saturday.
“He’s a horse who likes to be ridden quite aggressively,” Doyle said here on Thursday. “Perhaps the first time I rode him [when seventh of nine in February] I didn’t know him as well and I was perhaps a little bit easy on him, but the second time [when African Story returned to winning form] I was a bit firmer out of the gate to get a position, and tough on him to hold the position.“He’s a horse who likes to be ridden quite aggressively,” Doyle said here on Thursday. “Perhaps the first time I rode him [when seventh of nine in February] I didn’t know him as well and I was perhaps a little bit easy on him, but the second time [when African Story returned to winning form] I was a bit firmer out of the gate to get a position, and tough on him to hold the position.
“It’s been easier [making the switch from riding for Prince Khalid Abdullah] having a lot of nice horses to ride out here, and I’ve had a very prolific Carnival so far. I’ve settled in nicely and working with Godolpin as a team has been fantastic.“It’s been easier [making the switch from riding for Prince Khalid Abdullah] having a lot of nice horses to ride out here, and I’ve had a very prolific Carnival so far. I’ve settled in nicely and working with Godolpin as a team has been fantastic.
We [Doyle and Buick] have both been out here since we took over [in January], so we’ve had lists of the horses back in Eurpoe to look through, but that’s as far as we’ve got so far. We haven’t managed to get back and sit on them yet but we’ll be straight back after the World Cup, ready for work on Wednesday morning.” We [Doyle and Buick] have both been out here since we took over [in January], so we’ve had lists of the horses back in Europe to look through, but that’s as far as we’ve got so far. We haven’t managed to get back and sit on them yet but we’ll be straight back after the World Cup, ready for work on Wednesday morning.”
Both Doyle and Buick take a positive view of the changes to the Flat jockeys’ championship, which will see the racing during a total of nearly eight weeks at either end of the turf campaign removed from the reckoning.Both Doyle and Buick take a positive view of the changes to the Flat jockeys’ championship, which will see the racing during a total of nearly eight weeks at either end of the turf campaign removed from the reckoning.
“There’s going to be a lot of different opinions and the old way was the traditional way,” Buick said. “But I can see why the change was done. Instead of finishing the championship on a cold day at Doncaster, you finish it on Champions Day at Ascot, it’s going to be more of a show and the aim is to get the public behind it more. I realise it’s ignoring a lot of races but it’s there now and it’s happened and I’m all for it.“There’s going to be a lot of different opinions and the old way was the traditional way,” Buick said. “But I can see why the change was done. Instead of finishing the championship on a cold day at Doncaster, you finish it on Champions Day at Ascot, it’s going to be more of a show and the aim is to get the public behind it more. I realise it’s ignoring a lot of races but it’s there now and it’s happened and I’m all for it.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, and we’ve got exciting times ahead. We’ve got a lot of horses to ride, me and James, and it’s only going to help us as far as the title goes. But first and foremost now is to be successful with Godolphin and the team, and anything after that is a bonus.”“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, and we’ve got exciting times ahead. We’ve got a lot of horses to ride, me and James, and it’s only going to help us as far as the title goes. But first and foremost now is to be successful with Godolphin and the team, and anything after that is a bonus.”