Charlie Appleby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Appleby Has ‘A Lot Of Faith’ In Arc Contender Hurricane Lane

The question of Hurricane Lane's participation in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe had already arisen after his tour de force in the Grand Prix de Paris at Paris-Longchamp on July 14. It's now a certainty, as Godolphin's 3-year-old colt will indeed be in the line-up of the Oct. 3 feature. The Arc offers the winner an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November.

Third in the Epsom Derby, the colt is coming off a convincing win in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster. He has now won six of his last seven career outings, which includes three Group 1 successes.

Hurricane Lane will endeavor to become the first horse to win the Doncaster classic and ParisLongchamp's flagship race in the same season.

His trainer, Charlie Appleby, seeking his first Arc win, remains confident.

“He will attempt to do what has never been done before, but I have a lot of faith in the colt,” Appleby said. “Just because no one has ever done this – doesn't mean no one will.”

This veritable steamroller rates a 6-1 chance with British bookmakers, and is one of the leading fancies for a race in which his stablemate Adayar is being quoted at 4-1. Tarnawa, the representative of His Highness the Aga Khan, continues to head the market at 5-2.

The colors of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum boast three wins in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), namely Marienbard (2002), Sakhee (2001) and Carnegie (1994).

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Bret Calhoun Joins Writers’ Room

On the heels of a breakout performance from his juvenile filly Hidden Connection (Connect) in Saturday's GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill, trainer Bret Calhoun joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning to talk about his new barn star, upcoming career milestones, the closure of his old home track Arlington Park this weekend and more.

Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Calhoun was asked about how Hidden Connection's 9 1/4-length tour de force beneath the Twin Spires compared to his expectations for the filly.

“Trainers have got a million excuses, we're always nervous. We don't have quite what we want. Nothing rarely goes perfect,” Calhoun said. “But this filly showed a lot of talent early on. She breaks her maiden impressively, very easily. But we've got basically 30 days from a 5 1/2[-furlong] maiden race at Colonial to come to the Pocahontas at a mile and a 16th. So there wasn't a lot of time to prepare like I wanted. She always looked like she wanted to go two turns in the morning, but until you do it, it's a

lot to ask. With that being said, I did have a lot of confidence in her going in and I really felt like she would run really, really well that night. I thought she would get a good position on the first turn,and we really thought she wanted to go on. But like I said, until they prove it, you're not for sure.”

Calhoun has accomplished a lot since taking out his trainer's license in 1994, and currently has 3,308 wins to go along with over $92 million in earnings. He expressed gratitude and said he's far from done when asked to reflect on those numbers.

“It's been an unbelievable run. I'm hoping to reach 4,000 wins and $100 million in earnings. I love the sport. I love the horses. And it's provided a good living for me. I can't say enough about the business and what it's done for me. A lot of people have to go to job every day that they can't stand. I go to a job every day that I love.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Spendthrift Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers returned to the studio to discuss trainer Charlie Appleby's dominance in America, Tomas Mejia's 10-year suspension for using a buzzer, Bob Baffert's scratch of Medina Spirit (Protonico) from the GI Pennsylvania Derby and more. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Dubawi’s Modern Games Makes All At Newmarket

Stepping off a 3 1/2-length Doncaster nursery handicap victory earlier this month, Godolphin's 2-year-old colt Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was in command throughout Thursday's G3 Tattersalls S. at Newmarket and registered another clear-cut success at the expense of Coolmore and Westerberg's French raider Trident (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in his fifth consecutive start at the seven-furlong distance. He had earlier backed up a July 1 debut fifth at Haydock with a July 24 breakthrough score at Newmarket's Summer course and posted an Aug. 8 conditions second to the reopposing Cresta (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) at Leicester in his penultimate outing. The homebred chestnut was swiftly into stride and gained an overall lead on the far side as the six-runner field, reduced from seven by the late scratching of Shadwell's Ribhi (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), split into three distinct groups of two. Coming under pressure when threatened approaching the quarter-mile pole, the 3-1 second choice refused to relinquish his advantage and was ridden out up the hill to comfortably hold the Andre Fabre-trained even-money chalk by 2 1/2 lengths for a career high.

“He's not a big, imposing horse by any stretch and Lorna, who rides him at home, said it would take a good one to beat him,” revealed trainer Charlie Appleby after adding yet more fuel to the juvenile tank. “He did a bit of work on Saturday and, while he didn't surprise us, he worked particularly well. That was always the plan to go out there and make it and get them to come at us. It was a great ride by William [Buick] and it paid off.”

Looking ahead to future engagements, the Moulton Paddocks conditioner added, “He's a neat, little horse and maybe we'll have a look at the Breeders' Cup. He's got plenty of experience under his belt now and I wouldn't quite think of him as a [G1] Dewhurst horse. If you were to put him and [G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner] Native Trail together at home, it wouldn't be much of a competition. It would be a shame to run the two of them in the Dewhurst and, if Native Trail wasn't around, we all know this race today is a springboard to a Dewhurst. We've [also] got Albahr for the Breeders' Cup as well and they're two hard-knocking sons of Dubawi who can go to the Breeders' Cup and might just run well over there.”

Modern Games, the fourth of six foals, is one of three scorers and the leading performer produced by a half-sister to G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere-winning sire Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}), G3 Prix Minerve victrix Synopsis (Ire) (In the Wings {GB}) and the dual stakes-placed Epic Similie (GB) (Lomitas {GB}), herself the dam of G2 July S. and G3 Sirenia S. runner-up Figure of Speech (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). His dam Modern Ideals (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) is also kin to the dam of last term's Listed Prix Pelleas second Lackeen (GB) (Shamardal). Descendants of his MGSW third dam Proskona (Mr. Prospector), herself a half-sister to MG1SP sire Keos (Riverman) and G3 Prix Chloe-winning blue hen Korveya (Riverman), include MG1SW sire Act One (GB) (In the Wings {GB}), G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third Gharir (Ire) (Machiavellian), G1 Fillies' Mile runner-up Summer Symphony (Ire) (Caerleon) and GI Belmont Oaks Invitational third Summer Solo (Arch). The April-foaled homebred chestnut is a half-brother to a yearling filly by Exceed and Excel (Aus) and a weanling filly by Mastercraftsman (Ire).

Thursday, Newmarket, Britain
TATTERSALLS S. (REGISTERED AS THE SOMERVILLE TATTERSALL S.)-G3, £60,000, Newmarket, 9-23, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:23.62, gd.
1–MODERN GAMES (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Modern Ideals (GB), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Epitome (Ire), by Nashwan
3rd Dam: Proskona, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $75,348. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Trident (Fr), 126, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Mezzo Mezzo (Fr), by Mount Nelson (GB). (€140,000 Ylg '20 ARDEAY). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Westerberg; B-David Smaga & Mme Marie-Benedicte Fougy-Smaga (FR); T-Andre Fabre. £12,900.
3–Harrow (Ire), 126, c, 2, El Kabeir–School Run (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (65,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 85,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Wisteria); B-School Run Bloodstock (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £6,456.
Margins: 2HF, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 3.00, 1.00, 5.50.
Also Ran: Cresta (Fr), Ring of Beara (Fr), Claim The Crown (Ire). Scratched: Ribhi (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Trident Takes Dead Aim On Tattersalls

Andre Fabre has long considered Newmarket to be a happy hunting ground and it is significant that the master of Chantilly is at the old “Headquarters” on Thursday for the G3 Tattersalls S. Thirty years ago, Tertian (Danzig) came for this specific race and duly landed the odds and this time it is Trident (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) who is lined up for the seven-furlong prize representing Messrs Smith, Magnier, Tabor and Westerberg. Runner-up in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville Aug. 22, the bay can only improve over this longer trip on pedigree and could yet shape up into one of his handler's 2000 Guineas hopefuls come the spring.

“I see they had rain on Sunday at Newmarket, but it should have dried by now and in any case, whatever the ground is it won't bother him,” Fabre said. “He got a bump in the Morny just when he was quickening. The extra distance this time will be in his favour and he's going to run well. He's a very reliable colt.”

Godolphin's Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) comes in off a nursery handicap success at Doncaster's St Leger Festival Sept. 8 and trainer Charlie Appleby said, “Modern Games has a lovely, progressive profile and has done very little wrong to date. We have been pleased with him going into this and the testing seven at Newmarket should suit.” Prior to his Doncaster win, Modern Games was second to Manton Park Racing's Cresta (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) in a Leicester novice Aug. 8 and his trainer Martyn Meade said, “Obviously this is a step up, but he's in good form and is ready to take his chance. Andre Fabre's horse was obviously second in the Morny and you can't take that away from him, but you shouldn't be worried about one and we'll take him on.”

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) has won a York nursery Aug. 19 and Doncaster's Weatherbys Scientific £200,000 2-Y-O S. over 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 9, where he impressed with his acceleration at the finish. Harry Herbert is hoping he can make his presence felt in this company. “Andrew [Balding] has always held the horse in high regard and with every race, he's taken a big step forward,” he said. “I think having won that valuable sales race at Doncaster, Andrew desperately wanted to move into black-type company, so we'll see. It's a big leap, as we know, taking on Andre Fabre's horse Trident but he's very tough and we need to see where we are in the big picture.”

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