Rebel’s Romance will be part of the Appleby contingent later this summer (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— There is no real magic as to why or how Charlie Appleby and his Godolphin regiment have done so well, worldwide and especially in the United States. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s operation breeds and buys the best it can, its most prolific trainer trains them as well as one can, and the collective hopes for the best.
Still, deeper within that equation is the catalyst of a conditioner who recognizes what works nearly as quickly as he commits to re-strategizing when something does not. Enter: New York and a racing jurisdiction in which the Appleby pride has increasingly roared over the past few years, to the tune of multiple Grade 1 victories, and with plans to turn up the volume, so to speak, a few decibels. Quality certainly worked in the past, so why not a little quantity?
“There should be about 18-or-so horses at Saratoga, when it’s all said and done,” the 48-year-old Newmarket-based trainer confirmed. “It’ll be a nice team. We think the program suits them really well, especially the older horses. Obviously, we’ve sent some 3-year-olds over, and some will be coming over and it suits them, as well, hopefully.”
A winner of seven-figure races in 10 countries – possibly 11 if 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf champion Rebel’s Romance takes Sunday’s Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong – Appleby already has boots on the ground in the form of traveling assistant Chris Connett, who is currently overseeing seven horses at Godolphin’s Greentree property adjacent to Saratoga Race Course. The group will more than double when nine more horses clear quarantine, all having arrived in New York on Friday, May 24 with an eye towards the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
While Rebel’s Romance is expected to join the ranks later this summer with an eye toward the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer – a “Win and You’re In” event offering a berth in the Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Turf in November at Del Mar -, half-brother Measured Time leads the incoming legion. By Frankel, the 4-year-old was originally slated for a stateside run that never came to pass in 2023.
Like many by his sire, he has improved markedly with seasoning over the past year, going from a Listed-placed runner to a Group 1 winner when taking the Jebel Hatta at Meydan Racecourse in January. Five weeks prior to that, he annexed the Group 2 Al Rashidiya over the same nine furlongs. He was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 1, $5 million Dubai Turf and has since circled the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan as his next target. He will be joined by Grade 1 Canadian International winner Nations Pride, who exits a third to stablemate Silver Knott in the Grade 2 Man o’ War on May 11 at Belmont at the Big A. Plans for Silver Knott are currently tied up.
“Measured Time heads to the Manhattan off of a very good performance, finishing fourth in the Dubai Turf. It was a really solid run. He had two good wins in Dubai, including, obviously, the Jebel Hatta being his Grade 1 win,” Appleby said. “Nations Pride ran a good, solid race in his last start there in the Man o’ War. He will definitely come forward and head to the Manhattan.”
A familiar face to New York fans returns in turf stayer Siskany, a popular winner of last year’s Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup. The 6-year-old gelded son of Dubawi repeated in February’s Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy over 14 furlongs before a fourth in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup over the same two miles as his Belmont defense test. He was a neck second in the 2023 edition of the Dubai Gold Cup.
Siskany will look to defend his title in the Belmont Gold Cup which this year offers a ‘Golden Ticket’ for an automatic berth into the Group 1, AUD$8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup on November 5 at Flemington Racecourse in Victoria, Australia.
“Siskany was last seen in Dubai in the Gold Cup running his usual solid race,” Appleby said. “He’s a past winner of the Belmont Gold Cup last year, so he’s coming back for a renewal of that. He’s in good form and hopefully he can get it done again.”
Filly sprint ‘stars’ will be heading over, as well. Star Guest, a 4-year-old Dubawi daughter, exits a third as favorite in the Listed Kilvington Stakes on May 4 and will head to the Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions on June 7, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares.
Well-regarded Star of Mystery, a blue-blooded half-sister to Appleby’s 2021 Grade 1 Just a Game and Grade 1 Diana winner Althiqa, has proven a lethal late-runner, taking Meydan’s Group 2 Blue Point over five furlongs against older horses this winter.
She was last seen finishing a three-quarter-length second in Meydan’s Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint to Hong Kong luminary California Spangle and takes on the proverbial big boys again on June 8 in the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur Presented by Resolute Racing which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
She will be joined by 2022 Breeders’ Cup Grade 1 Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Mischief Magic, also a deep-closing sort, who exits a pair of stateside graded placings in Kentucky after victory in Meydan’s Listed Dubai Sprint.
“Star Guest ran a solid race there at Newmarket in what was her first start of the year. She will definitely come forward for it. We feel that the trip and conditions of the Intercontinental will suit her,” Appleby explained. “Star of Mystery, being out in Dubai, was a model of consistency. She just got touched off in the Al Quoz against older horses and I feel that the five and a half should suit her well at Saratoga in the Jaipur. Obviously, she has to gain some experience from it all in her first run in America. Mischief Magic is already over there and doing well since April. He’s a solid, old horse and just needs a bit of luck.”
Star of Mystery’s overachieving dam, Mistrusting, has another progeny heading over in Canadian Grade 1-winner Mysterious Night, a son of Dark Angel last seen finishing a disappointing 13th of 14 in the Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint on Saudi Cup Saturday on February 24 as market favorite. Prior to that, he landed Meydan’s Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort over seven furlongs on a mere week’s rest. The 4-year-old seeks to improve upon a disappointing seventh of nine in last August’s Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall Of Fame at the Spa. The one-mile Grade 3, $350,000 Poker is on tap for said opportunity.
“Mysterious Night heads for the Poker and had a good winter in Dubai, winning the Fahidi Fort,” Appleby said. “He’s a solid-enough old campaigner at this point and he goes in well.”
A phalanx of longer-winded fillies establish a bit of depth to the detail, including Cinderella’s Dream, an exciting winner of the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas, despite William Buick’s saddle slipping and having neither iron in place. She was seventh in Newmarket’s Group 1, 1000 Guineas on May 5 and points to the Grade 1, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks at 1 3/16-miles for sophomore fillies on July 6 at Belmont at the Big A. She was joined on the plane by last year’s Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational winner Eternal Hope, who has been unseen since backing up to win the Grade 2 Sands Point in October, as well as Dazzling Star, a sophomore unseen since finishing a third as favorite in September’s Grade 1 Natalma at Woodbine.
Lightly raced Group 2 Balanchine winner English Rose, on the other hand, will indeed run on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, but the final petal has yet to drop on which Grade 1 older-filly and mare race she will attempt with the 1 3/16-mile, $750,000 New York presented by Rivers Casino and the one-mile $500,000 Just a Game under consideration. The Frankel filly was second in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Jenny Wiley last out on April 13.
“Cinderella’s Dream is coming over with an eye toward the Belmont Oaks and she’s coming along with a couple others with later targets, being Eternal Hope and Dazzling Star. There are no set firm plans as of yet for them. They’ll just be joining the team over there and getting settled and then we will choose our spots for them,” Appleby said. “English Rose had a nice solid first run at Keeneland in the Jenny Wiley. She has good form this winter in Dubai, winning the Balanchine. We will decide closer to the race which race she’ll run in between the Just a Game and New York.”
Another filly, Dubai Carnival winner Beautiful Love, who was second to Cinderella’s Dream in February’s Jumeirah Fillies Classic, is also pointed for a summer campaign.
The 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile champ Master of The Seas is targeting the Spa’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap on August 10. The one-mile turf test for 3-year-olds and up offers a “Win and You’re In”’ berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Del Mar – a race Master of The Seas captured last year at Santa Anita Park.
Padding out the troupe are the likes of Group 3 Earl of Sefton winner and recent Grade 2 Fort Marcy runner-up Ottoman Fleet, Group 2 Singspiel winner and Grade 1 Turf Classic runner-up Naval Power, and Group 2 Dubai City of Gold and Grade 3 Sycamore winner Bold Act. Sophomores Legend of Time and Musical Act, each looking to improve upon disappointing runs in Kentucky over ground arguably less than to their liking, will seek firm redemption in the Empire State—the former in today’s Grade 2 Pennine Ridge. Plans for many in the Appleby army are fluid at this point, but it is vividly clear that he has success in mind for all. And there are plenty.
“We’re getting to know more about the racing program there in the summer, year-on-year should we say, and we like the racing,” Appleby concluded. “I feel that we have the right horses to be competitive, which is most important, and everyone’s enjoying it.”
~ International reporting provided by Michael Adolphson
