Appleby Focused on Races, Not Scene, at Breeders' Cup

With its placement in early November, the Breeders' Cup falls outside the primary racing season in Europe, providing a timely holiday for the connections of foreign-based runners sending their horses to the two-day event. But if a trip to California for the Nov. 5-6 Breeders' Cup is a vacation, it's a working vacation for British trainer Charlie Appleby.

"We're not really here for the party scene, as much as it is enjoyable to be here amongst you all," he said on the Del Mar backstretch Nov. 2.

Watch: Appleby Discusses Banner Year, Breeders' Cup Entries

Whether he has run horses abroad or in North America this year, Appleby—and his runners—have been all business. In a season of highlights for the Appleby, a private trainer for the worldwide Godolphin operation, he won his second Cazoo Derby (G1) at Epsom with Adayar  this year, and the 3-year-old repeated in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1) at Ascot later in June. Adayar became the first horse since Galileo  20 years earlier to capture the two races back to back.

Even on this continent, Appleby and Godolphin have excelled. The trainer is 6-for-14 in North America this year, winning the Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) and Diana Stakes (G1T) with Althiqa , and the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes with Yibir  this summer in New York. He then kept the momentum going into the fall, taking the Pattison Canadian International Stakes (G1T) with Walton Street  at Woodbine, and also the Summer Stakes (G1T) with Albahr  and the Natalma Stakes (G1T) there with Wild Beauty .

"The more you travel, the more you get to learn what you need to bring over to be competitive around the world," Appleby said.

He was a quick study. His first Breeders' Cup winner came with his first starter in 2013 when Outstrip  won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). He's added two more Breeders' Cup winners since, capturing the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in 2017 with Wuheida  and the Juvenile Turf once again with Line of Duty in 2018. 

Old Persian , his seventh and most recent Breeders' Cup starter in 2019, ran 11th in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.

Appleby credits his staff, and of course, his equine participants for his stellar international record over his career.

"But at the end of the day, without the horses, you can't do it. There's no way you're shipping them," he said.

He brings his deepest lineup this year, exceeding his three Breeders' Cup starters in 2018.

Modern Games  and Albahr are contenders at 5-1 and 6-1 odds in Friday's Juvenile Turf; Master of The Seas  and Space Blues  are 12-1 and 3-1 in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) on Saturday; and Walton Street and Yibir are 8-1 and 12-1 to win the Turf, also that afternoon.

Appleby was pleased to see his Juvenile Turf pair draw well in their race, a two-turn grass race at a mile with a relatively short run to the first of two turns.

"So both of them are big players, but as we all know around here on these tight tracks, you got to have a lot of lady luck on your side as well," he said. "So as much as having a good draw, you have to make the most of it, as well."

Space Blues has won two group 1s in a row in long sprints. His last 15 races, a stretch dating back to the spring of 2019, have been at seven furlongs or shorter. His maiden win came in a 1 1/16-mile race when making his career debut at Nottingham in November 2018.

In a deep Breeders' Cup Turf, Walton Street and Yibir bring established form into the race though neither is as accomplished as the racing's defending champion, Tarnawa , the 9-5 favorite trained by Dermot Weld.

Appleby said of his Turf duo, "They're two lively candidates that we've all got a favorite to beat."