Three Charlie Appleby and Godolphin horses to follow at Royal Ascot
If you are struggling to make your selections for the upcoming 2022 renewal of the prestigious Royal Ascot, you should look no further than trainer Charlie Appleby and the unmistakable, iconic royal blue silks of Godolphin (pictured above).
The globetrotters have won major races all over the world in recent years, including numerous Group 1 contests in France, Australia, the United Stated and the United Arab Emirates — as well as big wins on British and Irish soil to.
If anything, Appleby would have maybe liked to have picked up more wins at Royal Ascot as he approaches his 10th anniversary as Godolphin’s Moulton Paddocks’ head trainer next year — as his two King’s Stand Stakes victories with Blue Point in 2018 and 2019 are his only Group 1 triumphs at the royal meeting.
He will be sending a strong contingent of horses down to Berkshire from his Newmarket base this year though, several of which are considered favourites in the betting on Royal Ascot. With that in mind, here are our three Appleby horses to follow.
Coroebus
Perhaps the most likely entry to land Appleby a third Group 1 victory is Coroebus. The three-year-old stunned his Moulton Paddocks stablemate Native Trail to win the English 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on his reappearance at the end of April — getting over the line three quarters of a length clear of his previously unbeaten companion to land James Doyle a maiden British Classic victory.
After Native Trail bounced back to winning way in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, the pair look set to go head-to-head again in the St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of Ascot. But it is Coroebus who is the odds-on favourite at 8/13. French 2,000 Guineas winner Modern Games could also compete in the mile-long contest, coming in behind his stablemates.
Hurricane Lane
Another short-priced favourite, Hurricane Lane is 11/10 to win the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of Royal Ascot. The four-year-old won five of his seven outings last season, including the Group 2 Dante, the Irish Derby, the Prix de Paris and the St Leger — the fifth and final Classic of the season — before finishing a respectable third in the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Yet to reappear this season, all roads lead to Ascot at this stage and Hurricane Lane is going to take all the beating in the one-mile, four-furlong contest. William Haggas-trained Al Aasy, who ended a four-race winless streak with a victory in the Listed Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot last month, is his nearest rival at 8/1.
Ottoman Fleet
Relatively unexposed, Ottoman Fleet is the 4/1 favourite to win the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot. The three-year-old only made his debut in April, narrowly beaten by a neck to Natural World in a maiden at Newbury.
However, he landed his first victory last time out — recovering from a stumble out of the blocks to take the lead inside the final furlong before staying on to win by just half a length clear of Zain Sarinda. He’ll be asked to go an extra two furlongs, but Doyle doesn’t believe that should be an issue for the horse.
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There is very little to separate Appleby’s pair With The Moonlight and Life Of Dreams at the fore of the ante-post market for the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes.
*odds correct at the time of writing.
