Warren Point captures the Feb 3 Royal Crown Prince Cup in Bahrain (Bahrain Turf Club)
NYRA Press Office
ELMONT, N.Y.— The Newmarket-based Champion trainer Charlie Appleby will look to build on his stateside success at Belmont Park when he sends out Ottoman Fleet in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy and Warren Point in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Man o’ War.
Appleby’s graded tour de force in New York with regally-bred Godolphin-owned stock dates to June 2021 when he sent over Althiqa to capture the Grade 1 Just a Game over stablemate Summer Romance at Belmont as well as the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga Race Course.
In the fall of 2021, the Appleby-trained Yibir took the Jockey Club Derby en route to victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar and Eclipse Award honors as Champion Turf Male.
Last year, Nations Pride added to Appleby’s Empire State success with a win in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational and the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby at Belmont at the Big A, while stablemate With The Moonlight took down the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational.
Appleby said the New York graded-stakes program is at top of mind as he plans out his campaigns.
“They’re very important. They’re in our program on an annual sheet now,” Appleby said. “First and foremost, we have our targets set on Dubai to start off with and then on our European season, but amongst that, over the past few years, we feel we’re starting to understand the programs on your side of the water and what horses to bring over to be competitive. There’s some great turf races there and we enjoy coming over there and trying to win, but the experience has always been good – win, lose or draw. It’s something that we hope to carry on and try to gain more success with.”
Appleby said he has utilized the Dubai World Cup Carnival as an opportunity to win big prizes at Meydan Racecourse, while also gauging which of his stock might be suitable to the sweeping grounds and – excepting this weekend – the potential for fast ground.
“There are similar characteristics in track conditions. They have big sweeping turns there and a long straight,” Appleby said. “Once they’ve been around Meydan, we can get a feel of whether or not they’d be suited to the track styles of North America. We gain experience in Dubai of whether they will adapt to coming to New York and being on that international stage.”
Ottoman Fleet’s last two wins have come at Newmarket with last-to-first runs in the listed James Seymour in October over soft going and the Group 3 Earl of Sefton last out on April 18 over good-to-soft ground. Between those starts, the 4-year-old Sea The Stars gelding completed the trifecta in a trio of tilts over good turf at Meydan won by stablemates Valiant Prince [Group 2 Al Rashidiya and Group 2 Singspiel] and the aforementioned Nations Pride [Group 3 Dubai Millennium].
Appleby said the recent rainfall in New York, which has the course listed as good for Thursday’s Opening Day card, should suit Ottoman Fleet.
“It was on the slow side of good when he won his last start,” Appleby said. “He ran solid in Dubai on what we would call good-to-firm, but I feel it’s a plus to us with the potential ease in conditions this weekend.”
Appleby said Ottoman Fleet benefitted from a slight step down in company last out after taking on tried-and-true talent in Dubai.
“He came across decent opposition in Dubai and at the end of the day, it was just too hard to get past,” Appleby said. “We were confident going to Newmarket and delighted for him to get his head back in front. We’ve won on that track before and the conditions were there to suit him. He came out of that race in great order and shipped over well.”
Ottoman Fleet arrived in New York on Sunday from Newmarket, by way of Liege, Belgium, in company with Warren Point. Both horses cleared quarantine on Tuesday and cantered separately over Belmont’s dirt training track with jockey Richie Mullen and in the care of traveling assistant Chris Connett.
Ottoman Fleet, listed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the nine-furlong inner turf test, will exit post 3 under Mullen.
Warren Point, a 4-year-old Dubawi gelding, is out of the Dubai Destination mare Gaterie, who is a half-sister to multiple Group 2-winner Dartmouth.
He captured the 10-furlong Royal Crown Prince Cup on February 3 at Bahrain off a three-month layoff and returned two weeks later to finish a close second in the 12-furlong Group 1 HH The Amir Trophy at Doha.
Appleby said the 11-furlong Man o’ War over a slightly firmer track will appeal to Warren Point.
“I think the trip is ideal for him around there at Belmont and the track will suit him. Even with that rain around, I know the track will dry out quick enough there,” Appleby said. “It doesn’t concern me if it’s on the slow side of good or on the quick side of good. He’s shown versatility.”
Frankie Dettori is booked to ride Warren Point in the Man o’ War.
“Frankie is on his world tour and his ridden very successfully on the turf tracks of America, so we asked for his services,” Appleby said.
Appleby is also planning to have significant representation at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which will feature nine Grade 1 events spanning Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10.
The aforementioned Nations Pride, a 4-year-old Teofilo colt last seen finishing a close third in the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan, will target the 10-furlong Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan.
“We’re working back from that with him. He’s a horse that adapts well to that style of racing,” Appleby said.
With The Moonlight, a now 4-year-old Frankel filly, finished second last out to In Italian in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland. The talented bay, who is entered in Sunday’s Group 2 Dahlia at Newmarket, will point to the Grade 1, $600,000 New York at 10 furlongs.
“With The Moonlight is due to run this weekend in Newmarket and she will hopefully ship back to Belmont again for the New York,” Appleby said.
Appleby said he will consider both Group 2-winner Al Suhail and Mischief Magic, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November at Keeneland, for the six-furlong Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur.
Group 3-winner Siskany, a game second to Broome last out in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup in March at Meydan, will point to the two-mile Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup.
In addition, Appleby said he will also look to enter a pair of horses in the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge, a nine-furlong turf test for sophomores on June 3 here.
Appleby is also expected to have a strong hand this summer at Saratoga with as many as six runners headed to the Spa.
“We’ll try and target some of the turf races there that we saw ourselves in last year in the Oaks and Derby and hopefully the Sword Dancer,” Appleby said. “We left there last year with a skip in our step with the success that we had there and an enjoyable time. It’s a wonderful place to be that time of year.”
