Appleby Runners Take Exacta in Two Thousand Guineas

Charlie Appleby was not forced to choose between blue and white, to put his faith in one of his horses over the other, and face the bitter frustration of being on the wrong one in the April 30 QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket.

All Appleby had to do was deliver his horses to the first English classic of the season in perfect shape, and as the Godolphin second string Coroebus  swept through to lead in the white cap with stablemate and favorite Native Trail  chasing him hard in the all-blue, the trainer could prepare himself for certain victory.

Such a scenario had been expected for Appleby's horses—sent off first and second favorite ahead of Coolmore's Luxembourg —and while jockeys William Buick and James Doyle were left to choose who would ride which horse, the trainer floated into the race on a wave of positivity and optimism.

"I couldn't have faulted either of these horses all the way through," Appleby said. "Native Trail came here and won the Craven (G3) and Coroebus worked up here during the same meeting. After that work, William said to me, 'Gosh Charlie, if we didn't have Native Trail, I couldn't be more excited about this horse.' William couldn't get off Native Trail after everything they've done, but coming here I felt we had two lovely chances."

Appleby has had such chances before, having run the likes of Masar , Pinatubo , and Master of The Seas  in the Guineas. All were beaten, and Godolphin had failed to win the classic with one of its in-house trainers since 1999, when Island Sands scored for Saeed bin Suroor.

This time there would be no mistake, no playing second fiddle or looking on as Coolmore—Godolphin's long-term adversary and fellow superpower—sailed off with the stallion-making race yet again. And this time, it was James Doyle who was able to celebrate a first British classic success after playing the minor role to first jockey Buick for so long.

"Absolutely, it's a relief," Appleby said. "We were third with Pinatubo, second with Master of The Seas, so we were getting close and we hoped our time was coming. 

"I said to James, 'Hold him, hold him, hold him, and then press the button', and he's just got an electric turn of foot. I'm delighted for James, and for him to have his first classic for us is special.

"James is a great team member, as he's got to sit there as William gets the top rides. He never quivers, he never shies and he's just a true sportsman. He really does deserve that in spades. What I love about the guy is that he sits there while William picks the rides and, while they're lovely second rides to be getting, he's got the character to then go out there and give everything he has on these horses."

Appleby also paid tribute to the wider team at his Moulton Paddocks yard and to Sheikh Mohammed, notably absent from the Rowley Mile even as his champion trainer continued to propel Godolphin forward in a way it has barely done since the halcyon days of the early 21st century.

"I'm delighted for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Team Godolphin," Appleby said. "I don't want to stand here and say I'm too cool for school, but it really is a team effort with everyone at home. I'm just the one who gets to do the interviews and is given the opportunity to train these horses."

Coroebus, a son of Dubawi , is out of the group 3-winning Teofilo  mare First Victory.

"I'd say we'll go straight to the St. James's Palace (G1) with Coroebus and we'll go to the Curragh for the (Tattersalls) Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) with Native Trail where he's done well before," the trainer added.

While Appleby is aiming for the top mile races, the Cazoo Derby (G1) at Epsom is where Luxembourg and Eydon  are set to head after finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Eydon's trainer, Roger Varian, plans to speak with owner Prince Faisal before next steps are decided.

"Eydon has run a massive race, as that was only his second race on turf and the three in front of him were previous group winners," Varina said. "He's in two Derbys and we may go up in trip with him, but whether it's up to a mile-and-a-half we'll see. We'll let Prince Faisal digest the result before we make a decision."