By Emma Berry
NEWMARKET,UK–Charlie Appleby, who is aiming for a fourth victory in the first of the major British Classic trials, Thursday's G3 Craven S., has outlined plans for his team of Godolphin horses currently stabled at Keeneland.
One of those, Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), landed the Craven back in 2021 before being beaten a short-head when second in the 2,000 Guineas. Now six, he claimed the Maker's Mark Mile Saturday to notch his third Grade I strike in North America, including last season's Breeders' Cup Mile.
“Master winning last weekend was great,” said Appleby at Newmarket Wednesday morning. “He'll carry on campaigning through the summer.”
Another of Appleby's Breeders' Cup winners, Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), won the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at the end of March after his victory in the HH The Amir Trophy in Qatar.
The trainer continued, “They're two 6-year-olds and this is going to be potentially their last season in training. Rebel's might go to Hong Kong yet, we're not sure, but if he doesn't go there then the target will be the Sword Dancer at Saratoga in the hope of then going back to the Breeders' Cup Turf. It would be nice to have Rebel's Romance and Master Of The Seas, both past winners, at the Breeders' Cup again at the end of the season.”
He added, “Master Of The Seas goes to the Fourstardave at Saratoga, and he could then potentially look at the Coolmore Turf Mile, which he just got touched off in last year, then the Breeders' Cup.”
Appleby said of his select satellite stable in America, which includes the GI Canadian International S. and GI Saratoga Derby winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), “We have 10 or 12 horses out there. They are at Keeneland at the moment and we will hopefully have three runners on Kentucky Derby day and then Nations Pride will run the following week at Aqueduct. Then the whole team will ship to Saratoga, because Belmont is obviously closed, so Saratoga will be opening up early.
“The racing suits some of those horses who have been running in Dubai, and you want to go there with quick-ground horses, but it suits some of them. [Assistant trainer] Alex Merriam will go out there for a week for Churchill and Aqueduct and I will try to get to Saratoga.”
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