The 2018 season started very well for Charlie Appleby and kept getting better. Godolphin’s grand renaissance, so often promised in Dubai in March only to evaporate by the start of July, finally materialised and Appleby led the way, from a Derby winner in early June to Cross Counter’s historic first success for a British-trained runner in the Melbourne Cup. Now he must attempt to back it up.
Two notable names will already be missing from the team who will start the new turf season in Britain when Godolphin moves back to Newmarket after Saturday’s Dubai World Cup meeting. Masar, the first Derby winner in Godolphin blue, is still recovering from an injury sustained a few weeks later and is unlikely to return until Royal Ascot in June at the earliest, while Quorto, a leading candidate during the winter for the 2,000 Guineas, was ruled out after a setback two weeks ago.
But there is still sufficient strength in depth in his Moulton Paddocks stable for Appleby to be quoted as the 14-1 third-favourite by Paddy Power to win his first trainers’ championship, and the first for a Godolphin yard since Saeed bin Suroor’s last title in 2004. John Gosden, last year’s winner, heads the market at 8-15, with Aidan O’Brien on offer at 6-4.
“It’s nice to hear that,” Appleby said here on Thursday, “but they’re pretty hard to get past as well. I don’t say we’d take ourselves out of the championship but because we campaign so internationally, I do dilute the team slightly in terms of having a proper crack at it. But that’s what Godolphin is, an international stable, and we’ve already got two horses that have shipped [from Dubai] to Sydney for races there [in April].
“We’re not going out to try to win it but from a sporting point of view, I just want to go into the season with the mindset of staying at the level where we are. I’m not saying we’re going to win the Derby or the Melbourne Cup again but as long as we’re competing at the high end, that’s the goal for the year.”
Appleby was famously without a winner on World Cup night at Meydan before saddling a double on last year’s card to launch his season to remember. He has several fancied runners again this year, including Cross Counter, who will make his first start since Melbourne in Saturday’s Dubai Gold Cup, and Blue Point, last year’s King’s Stand Stakes winner at Royal Ascot, who is odds-on for the Al Quoz Sprint.
Once the curtain comes down on the season in Dubai, though, attention will turn immediately to the first Classics in Britain, on Guineas weekend at Newmarket in early May.
Quorto was the second-favourite for the 2,000 Guineas at around 8-1 before sustaining his injury but Line of Duty, a Grade One winner in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last season, is a useful deputy.
“Line Of Duty has wintered well and he’s hopefully going to head straight for the Guineas,” Appleby said. “We also have another colt in Zakouski [the winner of a Kempton maiden last November on his only juvenile start], who’s heading towards the Craven meeting. He stayed back in the UK but he’s wintered well and we’re very pleased with what we’re seeing.
“Those would be the two [2,000] Guineas contenders and there’s also a nice horse called Al Hilalee, who won his two starts as a two-year-old. He’s doing everything right and we’ll head back to the UK with him and start him off in the Newmarket Stakes. He could potentially make up into a Derby candidate. Last year is obviously a huge mantle to try and achieve again but the team have been in great form during the Carnival here and it’s like any sport, when you’ve got that momentum going, hopefully it will carry on into the turf season.”
Greg Wood’s accommodation in Dubai is provided by the Emirates Racing Authority
Lingfield Park 2.00 Golden Guest 2.30 Qaaraat (nap) 3.05 Drakefell 3.35 El Ghazwani 4.10 Lord Lamington (nb) 4.40 Follow A Dream
Fontwell 2.10 King Muro 2.40 The Ogle Gogle Man 3.15 Le Ligerien 3.45 Glance Back 4.20 Steel Bob 4.50 Truckers Tangle 5.20 Kost A Coat
Wetherby 2.20 Denmead 2.50 Las Tunas 3.25 Falcon Sun 3.55 Flowery 4.30 Desert Island Dusk 5.05 All About You 5.35 Marinero
Newcastle 5.55 Echo 6.30 Dreamofdiscovery 7.00 Astonished 7.30 Rey Loopy 8.00 Everkyllachy 8.30 Gowanbuster
Tips by Greg Wood
