Native Trail (GB)

Delivered by fate to coincide with the centennial year of The Aga Khan's Studs, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) descended on Sandown on Saturday to mark the occasion by providing his owner-breeder with a landmark first G1 Coral-Eclipse S. success. In the kind of tight finale that could comfortably have been predicted given the highly-competitive nature of this year's renewal, the Prix du Jockey Club hero held a fast-diminishing neck margin over the arguably unlucky Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), with the race's other 3-year-old Native Trail (GB)...

In the centennial year of The Aga Khan's Studs, the operation's latest flame Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) could present his owner-breeder with a present of particular value in Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse S. While The Aga Khan has won most of Europe's major middle distance prizes, Sandown's much-coveted contest has so far eluded him with Kalanisi (Ire) coming closest in his epic encounter with Giant's Causeway in the millennium edition. With weight-for-age tipping the balance very much in his favour, Jean-Claude Rouget's first runner at the Esher venue is ideally positioned...

With Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) setting it up for him, Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) carried the heavy burden of hope into Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh but with William Buick at his coolest the trinity of Guineas victories was completed with a degree of comfort. While the winning performance was not much more than workmanlike as the champion juvenile of 2021 grafted to deny the outsiders New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) and Imperial Fighter (Ire) (The Gurkha...

Godolphin's quest for a unique 2000 Guineas treble with three different colts is set to culminate in Saturday's €500,000 G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh, where the hot favourite Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) will face eight peers. Drawn in stall one, which was occupied by two of the last three winners of the Classic in Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), he will start against the rail as he seeks compensation for his defeat in the Apr....

A Godolphin-Charlie Appleby one-two in Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket seemed highly plausible, but as the dust settled on the sun-blessed Rowley Mile it was Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and not Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who held the Moulton Paddocks bragging rights. Despite arriving here in his stablemate's shadow, the G3 Autumn S. winner received due respect and support at 5-1 attempting to navigate from the one draw on the far side. As the 5-4 favourite charged down the other wing with William Buick animated, Coroebus...

Since Charlie Appleby took up the mantle at Moulton Paddocks in 2013, Godolphin's fortunes on British soil have been back on the rise and there is no greater exponent of that trend than Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas leading light Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The way Appleby's runners have been sweeping up the Spring's black-type contests so far this term is reminiscent of the days when Henry Cecil's Warren Place was at its height and provides further evidence that Ballydoyle has a heavyweight of mutual prowess to trade blows...

Charlie Appleby will have to be sharp-eyed on Saturday after the draw for Newmarket's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas saw his high-class pair Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) on opposite sides of the track. William Buick's mount, the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. and G1 Dewhurst S.-winning unbeaten champion juvenile Native Trail, was handed 15 of 15 while his G3 Autumn S.-winning stablemate is in one. Their handler was unconcerned about the draw on Thursday. "With the stalls in the centre of the track, being drawn 15...

He was 1-4 and there were no anxious moments as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream (GB) simply turned up and repeated his juvenile antics in Wednesday's G3 bet365 Craven S. at Newmarket. Taking some strides to organise himself as he had on this track and the July Course at two, the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. and G1 Dewhurst S.-winning European champion juvenile got motoring out of the "dip" to brush aside the long-time leader Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and score by 3 1/2 lengths from the...

Charlie Appleby has two strong hands to play in the upcoming 2000 Guineas and one of them, the European champion juvenile Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream (GB), enjoys a surprise if welcome prep in Wednesday's G3 bet365 Craven S. at Newmarket. It's the age-old question, can the one who was at the apex the previous year maintain his dominion after the winter sojourn? It is necessary to go back to the mid-nineties and the likes of Alhaarth (Ire) (Unfuwain) and Xaar (GB) (Zafonic) to recall reigning champions taking in this...

Last year's G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will return in the June 3 G1 Coronation Cup S., Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby revealed on Saturday. Fourth in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, one place behind stablemate Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in October, the strapping bay ended his season with a fifth after racing too freely in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. on Oct. 16. "Going forward the plan would be to start him off in...

St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a four-time Group 1 winner in 2021 and five-time top-level scorer overall, was named the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier 3-Year-Old Colt during the 31st annual Cartier Racing Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Wednesday evening. The sixth Cartier Horse of the Year for the Coolmore partners since the awards began in 1991, the Aidan O'Brien trainee joins the illustrious company of stablemates Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat) (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) (Danehill) (2002), Hurricane Run (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (2005),...

By the time the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. loomed on Saturday, there was a keen sense of inevitability to the outcome and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) kept to the script to complete Godolphin and Charlie Appleby's rout of Newmarket's Future Champions Day card. Already the keeper of the generation's bragging rights having collected the G2 Superlative S. at the July Festival here and the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh Sept. 12, the bay had one more mission to complete and did so with his now-customary...