Charlie Appleby looking to build on excellent year

Trainer excited for next season after a 2022 to remember.

Returning stars Native Trail and Modern Games and a “serious Guineas contender” in Noble Style are among the horses Charlie Appleby is looking forward to campaigning in 2023.

The Moulton Paddocks handler has enjoyed another fantastic season at home and abroad, but will soon wipe the slate clean and bid to do it all over again.

Appleby won the 2000 Guineas for the first time with Coroebus earlier this year and his chief hope of repeating the feat in early May appears to be Noble Style.

The Kingman colt has not been seen in competitive action since extending his unbeaten record to three in the Gimcrack Stakes at York in August, but is reported to have made a full recovery from colic and the Greenham Stakes at Newbury has been identified as his likely Guineas trial.

Noble Style winning the Gimcrack Stakes at York
Noble Style winning the Gimcrack Stakes at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Noble Style has not been seen since winning the Gimcrack impressively. He had the colic setback but he is fine and is back in work,” said Appleby.

“He will probably start off in the Greenham at Newbury as he has got a lot of natural speed which we have seen.

“Staying is the question mark. On pedigree, there is strong enough evidence that he should stay the mile but at the end of the day he has got to prove on track he can get the extra two furlongs. As we stand at the moment he is a serious Guineas contender.”

Other colts put forward by Appleby as possible Guineas prospects include Canadian Grade One winner Mysterious Night and Breeders’ Cup runner-up Silver Knott, while Local Dynasty is among those considered as potential Derby contenders at this early stage.

“Local Dynasty won the Silver Tankard at Pontefract and Flying Honours won the Zetland Stakes at Newmarket, which are good pointers for the Derby,” the trainer added.

“There is also Imperial Emperor, who won smartly in his maiden at Newmarket and Castle Way who won the valuable nursery at Newmarket over a mile and a quarter quite impressively. These are all horses that will be in the Derby trials in the spring.”

Native Trail and Modern Games were both Classic winners for the team this year, with the first-named colt winning the Irish Guineas after finishing second to ill-fated stablemate Coroebus at Newmarket and Modern Games providing Appleby with a remarkable Guineas treble in the French equivalent.

While Native Trail was beaten in his next two starts, Modern Games went on to enjoy further top-level success in Canada and America – most recently plundering the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Appleby said: “Native Trail looks great and we have him staying in training, as does Modern Games in that mile camp.

“I’d give the model of consistency (award) to Modern Games. From start to finish he has been impressive, as every race he has had has been in a Group One. Whether you are winning or losing, it takes a lot out of you and he didn’t lay down once.

“For him to go to Champions Day on ground which was a negative, he still put up a performance like he did (second in QEII), and then to back it up with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, you doff your hat to and say ‘fair play mate’. He is the horse I give the most credit to.”

Other older horses who will be back for more in 2023 include last year’s Derby winner Adayar, Hurricane Lane and Rebel’s Romance, who supplemented successive Group One triumphs in Germany with victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland last month.

Of the latter, the trainer said: “He won his last three Grade/Group Ones. When I started off with him in that Listed race at the July Course in June, did I think I would be winning a Breeders’ Cup? Probably not. He takes the ticket of the horse that has surprised us the most.”

Appleby can reflect on the year that has been with great pride, having been champion Flat trainer for the second year running, beaten his previous best annual tally of 115 winners and saddled his 1000th domestic winner for Godolphin.

Charlie Appleby with Native Trail after winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas
Charlie Appleby with Native Trail after winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Brian Lawless/PA)

He added: “Without being too confident I felt we would match last year’s figures and the momentum we got early doors really helped.

“We hit the Craven Meeting in good form which carried on into the Guineas meeting and we were churning out a sensible amount of winners throughout the year.

“Halfway through the season, regardless of the championship, it was in my mind that I wanted to try and surpass what we achieved numerically so to get that done was great.

“Nobody had won their first trainers’ championship then backed it immediately up since Aidan O’Brien (2001 and 2002) achieved it and it was very much on my mind that I would like to have a crack at it as it hadn’t been done for many years.

“When you have got the likes Aidan, John and Thady Gosden and William Haggas out there doing what they are doing you can’t afford to drop the ball.

“From the team’s point of view the hardest part is to stay where we are. To stay at the top of the table was the challenge and thankfully we have managed to do that which is phenomenal.”

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