Appleby: Still more improvement to come from Military Order

Lingfield trial winner seen as a ‘worthy favourite’ for the Derby.

Charlie Appleby is full of hope Military Order can record what would be a notable family double in the Betfred Derby.

The Lingfield Derby Trial victor is a full-brother to 2021 Epsom hero Adayar, being by Frankel out of Anna Salai.

Adayar also went to Lingfield before Epsom, although he had to settle for the runner-up spot there to Third Realm.

As a result he was a 16-1 winner of the blue riband, while in contrast Military Order is set to go there as favourite and will be the only runner for Moulton Paddocks.

Appleby – who first won the Derby with Masar in 2018 – said: “I’ve only left Military Order in the race on the back of his win in the Lingfield Derby Trial which I was very pleased with.

“He has come out of that race well and it is all systems go hopefully into a Derby now. His preparations have been faultless to date and he ticks a lot of boxes as they say.

“At the end of the day you have to say his profile is most similar to Adayar given they are brothers.

“Although Adayar wasn’t a black-type winner going into the Derby, he had been placed in the Classic Trial at Sandown Park and the Lingfield Derby Trial.

“It was a completely different ball game with Masar, who was a Group winner at two and three even before he went into the Derby so I couldn’t put them in the same sort of profile.

“As respects to Military Order and his brother I would say he is marginally in front of him and he is a worthy favourite on what we have seen to date.”

Adam Kirby celebrates Derby glory with Adayar
Adam Kirby celebrates Derby glory with Adayar (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

The Lingfield race was staged on the all-weather rather than turf due to ground conditions, but Appleby feels that should not distract from his winning effort.

He went on: “Everyone is allowed an opinion at the end of the day and some people will say it was only an all-weather win at Lingfield.

“What I loved about it, and the most important part that I took out of the race, was when William (Buick) made that manoeuvre, for a mile-and-a-half horse, and a horse of his stature, he did it very effortlessly.

“A lot of horses can get tangled around Lingfield whether it be on the turf or the all-weather coming down that hill into that turn. They can sometimes need time to find their legs and he did it very quickly and smoothly.

“I do genuinely feel he has still got that potential to find more improvement over the mile and a half and he is going in there as one of the least exposed horses at the top of the market.

Charlie Appleby knows what is required to win the Derby
Charlie Appleby knows what is required to win the Derby (John Walton/PA)

“You can never have enough horses in the Derby as Aidan (O’Brien) has proved down the years.

“We have been lucky enough to have a couple of runners in the Derby when Masar won and we had three runners in the race when Adayar won.

“It is one of those unique races that you have to go there with the right horse. If you haven’t got the right horse it is pointless really turning up.

“It is a fantastic race but one you have to be good enough to turn up in as if you aren’t you can become lost in it all very quickly.”

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