Crisis? What crisis? Godolphin’s all-blue silks were carried to victory in the first four races hereon Saturday as Sheikh Mohammed’s team began to move on from the shock of suddenly losing their chief executive in midweek.
One waggish bookmaker used Twitter to suggest Godolphin were “doing a Leicester City” in showing such excellent form so soon after a change in management. In reality, there was nothing particularly new or surprising in three winners from Charlie Appleby, one of Godolphin’s two main trainers in this town, and another from John Gosden, who has a sprinkling of their horses in his nearby yard.
Appleby mopped up the first two races with a couple of two-year-olds, a division in which he has had notable success this year, which may have led, indirectly, to Tuesday’s resignation of John Ferguson. Saeed bin Suroor, Godolphin’s other main trainer, appears to believe the division of two-year-olds this year has been somewhat unfair and indeed he is yet to have even a single runner from that age group, while Appleby has now had 10 winners from 15 runners. Bin Suroor vented in the press, prompting Ferguson’s departure.
Bin Suroor’s only runner on Saturday was at Haydock, so he was at least spared the sight of seeing Appleby making so many trips to the winners’ enclosure – including after the first race with the debutant Glorious Journey, who cost £2.6m at auction in October, when Ferguson was doing the bidding.
Regally bred, the colt has clearly generated quite a lot of expectation at Godolphin, prompting a reporter to ask Appleby if he was relieved about this initial success.
Denying it, the trainer replied cheerily: “Do I look like Theresa May?” For the record, there is not much of a likeness and Appleby also appears much more willing than the prime minister to address difficult subjects in public, since he responded to a question about Ferguson’s decision to quit and how it affected the organisation.
“John made his decision and felt it was the right one,” Appleby said. “I can only thank him for the help he’s given me over the years. He’s been a pleasure to work with.
“For myself, I’m employed by Godolphin to race horses and prepare them to the best of my ability with the team I have and that’s what I shall carry on doing. I’m not going to get involved in anything more than that, it’s not my department. My department is the horses and, as I said to William [Buick], his department is to ride them and, as long as we’re doing our best at that, then hopefully we’ll carry on getting the results that we see.”
Joe Osborne, appointed as Godolphin’s interim chief executive while Sheikh Mohammed considers what should happen next, was in Appleby’s stable this week, introducing himself to staff. It appears he has only half of Ferguson’s job, as the departed man was also racing manager and liaised with the trainers over running plans. With no one now in that role, the trainers are free to make more such decisions by themselves.
In Bin Suroor’s case, this is not much of a change, since it seems he decided to cut Ferguson out of the chain of command some time ago. If the Sheikh decides to appoint a new racing manager, that person will surely view the winning of Bin Suroor’s trust and support as job No1. Whatever the fairness or otherwise of the way horses have been split between the two trainers up to now, Bin Suroor, a native Dubaian who clearly has the Sheikh’s ear, can expect to get the cream in the future.
In the meantime, Appleby hopes to take a good number of his juvenile team to Royal Ascot in nine days’ time. “There’s not a standout among them but they won’t look out of place in the lineup,” he said. He also has the newly gelded Bay Of Poets for the Hampton Court, Endless Time for the Gold Cup and Frontiersman for the Hardwicke. His classy Hawkbill is likely to be saved for another day and a softer surface.
Hugh Anderson, Godolphin’s MD, said: “It’s been an interesting week but on Saturday, at the business end of the operation on the racetrack, we have seen a Group One win in Australia and a four-timer here at Newmarket. Godolphin is about great horses being prepared by excellent teams in our yards and studs. It’s about first-class trainers and winners. It’s been a good day all round and we look forward to much more success over the season.”
Chris Cook’s Sunday tips
Nottingham
1.50 Peter Leonard 2.20 Hurricane Hollow 2.55 Cryptonite
3.30 Stake Acclaim 4.05 Kitty Boo 4.35 Dragons Voice
5.10 Indian Chief
Goodwood
2.00 Lightening Dance 2.30 Azzuri (nap) 3.05 Zac Brown
3.40 London Prize 4.15 Tie Em Up Tel 4.45 Time To Exceed
5.20 Crafty Madam (nb)
