Charlie Appleby

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a high-profile Godolphin auction purchase. 5.45 Leicester, Novice, £8,000, 2yo, 7f (AWT) PRIVATE SIGNAL (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), a 680,000gns purchase by Godolphin at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale, bids to build on a narrow second at Doncaster earlier this month. Out of a...

The betting suggested that there would be a Godolphin one-two in Saturday's G3 Jersey S. and that projection was right with Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and James Doyle upstaging Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and William Buick to win the battle of the 5-1 joint-favourites. Always travelling strongly restrained towards the rear of the group racing up the middle, the chestnut who captured the Listed Carnarvon S. over six furlongs at Newbury May 15 moved through to take control of that pack with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Drifting left...

Charlie Appleby's 3-year-old males seem to have the edge in the middle-distance and staying department at present, with Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) the latest to step forward and provide the outfit with its first Royal Ascot winner of 2021 in the G2 Queen's Vase. Stripped of one of its leading players at the start as Ballydoyle's Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was withdrawn after going down in the stalls, this latest renewal of the 14-furlong test nevertheless had enough depth to ensure that the winner would emerge with suitable kudos. Kemari,...

Listed winner Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is in good order ahead of an intended start in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot on June 15. The Godolphin flagbearer broke his maiden at second asking at Kempton in January, and followed up with another win going a mile there on Mar. 3. He captured the Listed Feilden S. at Newmarket on Apr. 3 and was only a half-length second in the Listed Heron S. at Sandown on May 20. "Highland Avenue will go for the St James's...

To an extent, when Coolmore wins two of the weekend's premier Classics in Europe and Godolphin wins another, it feels like we are harking back to the glory days around the turn of the century, when the battle of the superpowers was epitomised by those back-to-back duels between Galileo (Ire) and Fantastic Light in the 'King George' and Irish Champion Stakes. Honours even. And it was honours even at Epsom, with the dazzling victory of Ballydoyle's Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the Cazoo Oaks, followed by the satisfying success...

Godolphin homebred Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}), who won the G1 Cazoo Derby on Saturday, excited the race in good order and will target the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 24. If he completes the double, he would be the first horse to do so since his grandsire Galileo (Ire) in 2001. Trainer Charlie Appleby said, "He has come out of the race great. As you saw he went on the seawalker yesterday morning and he has been out for a jog this morning...

A grey pair of Godolphin-owned, Charlie Appleby-trained fillies off at 7-1 and last seen competing in Meydan's G2 Balanchine S. in February dominated Saturday's GI Longines Just a Game S., with Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) running down fleet-footed stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) late. Longshot and fellow 'Rising Star' Daddy is a Legend (Scat Daddy) rounded out the trifecta. Trainer Chad Brown, who had three chances for his fifth-straight Just a Game title, could do no better than fourth with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)....

EPSOM, UK—"I'm not really a person to get over-excited about things," said Adam Kirby as he stooped over the podium after winning his first Classic, the most important one of them all. For the tall, gaunt jockey, so admired by his peers but with nothing like the rock star profile of Frankie Dettori, even riding at nine stone is a struggle. Slow to face the press for the post-race conference, he admitted he'd taken his time in the weighing-room so he could have a bottle of juice while gathering his...

He was the third-string of Godolphin, the outsider of all the colts by Frankel (GB), was drawn in the hoodoo one stall and ridden by the jockey who was banished from one of the more-fancied horses, but in the final reckoning on Saturday Godolphin's Adayar (Ire) was utterly dominant in Epsom's G1 Cazoo Derby. Highly encouraging when runner-up in the Apr. 23 G3 Sandown Classic Trial, the powerful bay was less so when in the same spot in the May 8 Lingfield Derby Trial and had subsequently gone into the...

Chad Brown has won the last four renewals of Belmont's GI Longines Just a Game S. and has four chances to take him home his fifth Saturday. Leading the quartet is last out GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile heroine Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Prior to that victory, the bay missed by a neck in to Sweet Bye and Bye (Sky Mesa) in a Saratoga optional claimer last August and came up a neck short again in Belmont's GIII Noble Damsel S. in Septemer. She was defeated by a nose in...

There are 19 colts remaining in the 1 1/2-mile G1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 5. Leading the way is current favourite and G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. hero Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), one of six for Aidan O'Brien and the various Coolmore partners. Joining the G3 Ballysax S. victor from Ballydoyle are: former race favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the G2 Beresford S. at two and was third in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. to Godolphin's Hurricane Lane...

Godolphin's Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) breezed six furlongs over Belmont's main track Wednesday in advance of next weekend's GI Belmont S. Prior to the move, Rebel's Romance, accompanied by Desert Peace (Curlin), briefly schooled in the paddock before heading to the track and jogging clockwise in front of the grandstand and around the far turn. The G2 UAE Derby winner tracked Desert Peace along the outside as NYRA clockers caught the duo through initial splits of :25.00, :36.80 and 1:00.58. Just past the quarter-pole, Rebel's Romance took a slight...