Charlie Appleby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dubawi’s Highland Avenue Takes the Feilden

Successful in two of his first three starts on Kempton's Polytrack, Godolphin's Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was particularly impressive when taking the Mar. 3 “Road To The Kentucky Derby” Conditions S. given that he had to overcome a tardy start. Much more sprightly from the break in this debut on turf in Tuesday's Listed Feilden S. at Newmarket, the grey tracked the leading duo before taking over approaching the two-furlong pole. Chased down by stablemate Secret Protector (War Front) from there, he gave generously to win by 1 1/4 lengths as the pair pulled six lengths clear of a smart field. “To be fair, he hasn't done anything wrong in his career and just found it a little bit sharp first time,” jockey James Doyle said of the homebred, whose dam enjoyed her finest hour at this venue when winning the G1 Cheveley Park S. and is a full-sister to the GI E. P. Taylor S. heroine Sheikha Reika (Fr) (Shamardal). “He's a sleeper at home and not flashy in his work, but he'd shown enough and has improved on the track. He quickened up well in the Kentucky Derby race and has mentally improved throughout each run. He'll probably come back in distance after today, I was surprised how well he travelled and he responded a bit sharper than I thought he would. Charlie said we should take our time with him and I think he'll come on massively for that.”

Appleby is keen to avoid over-facing the winner for now and added, “He is doing everything the right way–we are not trying to achieve too much too soon with him. He is very much a horse that might not jump straight into the deep end just yet. Physically, he is a big horse. Each run he is tightening up and skeletally is strengthening up well. He has got to do a stalls test now, as I've taken a ticket with him the last three occasions, but I'm sure it will be fine. The second horse has added substance to it. It was a hard choice for William [Buick], but he had ridden Secret Protector and not this one so he stuck with him. He is a horse that is probably crying out for a bit further. As this horse mentally sharpens up, he will get physically sharper and he will get quicker. At this moment, I think a Guineas might be too much. I don't want to lose this horse just by rolling the dice with him, as he has got an engine.” Lumiere's 2-year-old filly is by Galileo (Ire), while she also has a 2020 filly by Sea the Stars (Ire).

BET365 FEILDEN S.-Listed, £30,000, Newmarket, 4-13, 3yo, 9fT, 1:48.23, gd.
1–HIGHLAND AVENUE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Lumiere (GB) (Hwt. 2yo Filly-Eng, G1SW-Eng, $329,674), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Screen Star (Ire), by Tobougg (Ire)
3rd Dam: Actoris, by Diesis (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-James Doyle. £17,013. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $62,725.
2–Secret Protector, 126, c, 3, War Front–Eternal Bounty (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). ($800,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Godolphin; B-R. S. Evans (KY); T-Charlie Appleby. £6,450.
3–Royal Champion (Ire), 126, c, 3, Shamardal–Emirates Queen (GB), by Street Cry (Ire). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £3,228.
Margins: 1 1/4, 6, HD. Odds: 4.50, 4.50, 2.00.
Also Ran: Youth Spirit (Ire), Fancy Man (Ire), Gentleman Joe (GB), New Treasure (Ire), Arturo Toscanini (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result.

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Back To HQ

While the British flat turf season officially kicked off at Doncaster at the end of last month, the real beginning takes place on Tuesday as Newmarket open their three-day Craven meeting. Any self-respecting fan of racing will feel that familiar warmth at the prospect of the fixture that hosts the Nell Gwyn, the European Free, the Earl of Sefton and of course the Craven itself. Tuesday's card has two longstanding race titles in the Alex Scott Maiden S. which gets the action underway and the Listed Feilden S. which pitches the year's Derby hopes against one another for the first time on English soil. The sharp and early juveniles get their chance in the British EBF Novice S., while the seven-furlong British EBF Conditions S. which follows may have a 2000 Guineas prospect in its midst.

Two that are entered in the May 1 Classic are Ballydoyle's Duke of Mantua (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Godolphin's Noble Dynasty (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), with the former coming here off a fourth as the topweight in The Curragh's Madrid H. Mar. 21 which has already produced the G3 1000 Guineas Trial winner Keeper of Time (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and conditions scorer Erzindjan (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}).

In the Feilden, Michael Pescod's Fancy Man (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) has to concede three pounds to all having won the Listed Ascendant S. at Haydock in September and he hails from the Hannon establishment which has done so well at this meeting down the years under Senior and Junior.

“He's been working very well,” the current incumbent of East Everleigh said. “I'm a little bit worried if the ground gets too quick as he's a big horse, that's all, but he needs a run and he had a good year last year. This is nine furlongs rather than a mile, but I think he'll get this sort of trip no problem.”

With Aidan O'Brien housing so many potential Derby contenders he has decided to cross the waters with the seven-furlong Curragh maiden winner Arturo Toscanini (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while Charlie Appleby saddles the Polytrack-winning duo Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Secret Protector (War Front). The latter has also captured the 9 1/2-furlong Meydan Trophy Feb. 11, while an intriguing renewal also features Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's mile course maiden winner Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal) from the Roger Varian stable and Ahmad Al Shaikh's Youth Spirit (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) who was last seen finishing third to Battleground (War Front) in the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood in July.

“He's a lovely horse and I'm really looking forward to getting him going,” trainer Andrew Balding said. “Obviously he'll come on a bit for the run, but he's in good shape for his first run of the season. He did have a niggle after Goodwood and we ran out of time, so we decided to leave him for the year.”

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Rebel’s Romance Romps In UAE Derby

Any discussion of the world's leading turf sires must include Darley in Europe's Dubawi (Ire), but for all the success he has had with his runners on the grass, his strike rate on the dirt–particularly in Dubai–is nothing short of stunning. The sire of World Cup winner Prince Bishop (Ire) (and Monterosso {GB} on the Tapeta), Dubawi has also accounted for such horses as Hunter's Light (Ire), Benbatl (GB) and Mubtaahij (Ire). The latter took out the 2015 UAE Derby, and as the sun began to set Saturday at Meydan, Rebel's Romance (Ire) put pay to an international field to punch a possible ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Let go at overlaid odds coming off a first career defeat when fourth to Pink Kamehameha (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}) in the Saudi Derby in Riyadh Feb. 20, Rebel's Romance was beaten for speed from gate 11 and had just a couple of rivals behind him as the previously unbeaten Panadol (Flatter) led them under the line the first time with New Treasure (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) also prominent. In the clear down the backstretch, Rebel's Romance was allowed to improve into a midfield position through the middle stages, then was tucked in for a bit of cover on the back of Pink Kamehameha entering the turn. Felt for fully 650 metres out, Rebel's Romance warmed nicely to the task, was three wide into the lane, raced past Panadol while finally switching his leads a furlong from home and came away to an easy score while covering 16 metres (about 5 1/2 lengths) more ground than Panadol in a strong staying performance.

It was a ninth UAE Derby for Godolphin, but a first for trainer Charlie Appleby, and was worth 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Seven of the last eight winners of the race made their next appearance beneath the Twin Spires. If that is to be the case with Rebel Romance, Appleby was not admitting to it just yet.

“He is still very much a work in progress and he looked much better tonight than he did in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I think the biggest attribute to him today is that he was going to stay. We were always confident he as going to stay. Stepping up in trip was going to be his forte.

“It's great for the team,” he continued. “Most importantly, it's good for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who has a lovely horse win on Dubai World Cup night. I'm just delighted we've managed to put one into the back of the net.”

Rebel's Romance was perfect in a pair of all-weather starts at two, winning his maiden at first asking at Newcastle ahead of a four-length success at Kempton Nov. 18. He rallied from mid-division to best Mouheeb (Flatter) by a head in the Jan. 14 UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Jan. 14 ahead of his Saudi Derby effort.

Pedigree Notes:

Rebel's Romance became the 199th worldwide black-type winner and 129th group/graded winner for Dubawi and first since Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) scored in 2017 before following up with back-to-back wins in the World Cup. He is out of a stakes-placed daughter of MGSW & MG1SP Short Skirt (GB), the dam of Volcanic Sky (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), winner of this year's G3 Nad al Sheba Trophy over a mile and six furlongs on the turf. Fittingly enough, Rebel Romance's third dam produced English highweight Whitewater Affair (GB) (Machiavellian), whose son Victoire Pisa (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}) posted a poignant victory for his tsunami-affected nation in the 2011 World Cup. After failing to produce a foal in 2019, Minidress dropped a colt by Frankel (GB) in February 2020.

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
UAE DERBY SPONSORED BY EMIRATES NBD-G2, $750,000, Meydan, 3-27, 3yo, 9 1/2f, 1:56.28, fs.
1–REBEL'S ROMANCE (IRE), 121, g, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Minidress (GB) (SP-Eng), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Short Skirt (GB), by Diktat (GB)
3rd Dam: Much Too Risky (GB), by Bustino (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE);
T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. $435,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-0, $474,879. *1/2 to Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), SP-
Ire. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A.
2–Panadol, 121, c, 3, Flatter–Arradoul, by Dixieland Band.
($180,000 2yo '20 OBSJUN). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed
Al Maktoum; B-Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman (NY);
T-Salem bin Ghadayer. $150,000.
3–New Treasure (Ire), 121, g, 3, New Approach (Ire)–
Maoineach, by Congaree. (90,000gns HRA '20 TATAUT).
O-Prince Faisal bin Khaled; B-J S Bolger (IRE); T-John Gosden.
$75,000.
Margins: 5HF, 1 3/4, HD.
Also Ran: Takeru Pegasus (Jpn), Mouheeb, France Go De Ina, Speight'spercomete, El Patriota (Uru), Mnasek, Pink Kamehameha (Jpn), Ambivalent, Lugamo, Fire Group, Soft Whisper (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.

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Ghaiyyath’s Brother Debuts At Donny

4.20 Doncaster, Mdn, £5,300, 3yo, 10f 43yT
KHAIZ (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the latest progeny out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), now one of the world's most revered broodmares courtesy of the exploits of this Charlie Appleby-trained colt's full-brother Ghaiyyath (Ire) and her GI Man o'War S. winner Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The top-priced colt of the 2018 Tattersalls December Foals Sale at 700,000gns, the March-foaled chestnut carries the silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum as he takes on some experienced peers including George Strawbridge's Sevenal (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), a John Gosden-trained son of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine Latice (Ire) (Inchinor {GB}) who was second on debut at Newmarket in October.

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