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Charlie Appleby, fresh off two consecutive UK trainers' titles, will have a host of stars to go to war with in 2023, among them Godolphin's undefeated G2 Gimcrack S. hero Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The son of listed winner and Group 3-placed Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), named a 'TDN Rising Star' off his winning debut at Ascot in May, is earmarked for the G3 Greenham S. in April, before a possible bid for G1 2000 Guineas glory in May.

He said, “Noble Style has not been seen since winning the Gimcrack impressively. He had the colic setback but he is fine and is back in work. He will probably start off in the Greenham down at Newbury as he has got a lot of natural speed which we have seen.

“Staying is the question mark. On pedigree, there is strong enough evidence that he should stay the mile but at the end of the day he has got to prove on track he can get the extra two furlongs. As we stand at the moment he is a serious Guineas contender.”

Another horse with Classic aims is Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the winner of the GI Summer S. overseas at Woodbine in Canada last September.

“A horse that we have not seen since he won emphatically in Canada is Mysterious Night,” he added. “I think he is a horse that deserves to put in those trials in the spring to see where we are. The way he has developed and the scope he has puts him in the picture.

“You also have to put Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in there. He only went down by a short head in the [GI] Breeders' Cup Juvenile [Turf] which is a race we have used with horses that have tasted Classic success, i.e. Modern Games. He is definitely in the Guineas mix.”

Appleby is also blessed with a bevy of potential G1 Derby horses, among them listed winner Local Dynasty (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and G3 Zetland S. hero Flying Honours (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

“As for the Derby you have Local Dynasty, who won the Silver Tankard at Pontefract and Flying Honours who won the Zetland S. at Newmarket, which can be good 2-year-old races which are good pointers for the Derby.

“There is also Imperial Emperor (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won smartly in his maiden at Newmarket and Castle Way (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}) who won the valuable nursery at Newmarket over a mile and a quarter quite impressively. These are all horses that will be in the Derby trials in the spring.”

Quadruple top-level victor Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) stays in training, as does G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

He said, “Native Trail looks great and we have him staying in training as does Modern Games in that mile camp and in the sprinting division you have got little Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

“Stepping up to the mile and a quarter you have Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who we missed for much of this season, then over a mile and a half you have the likes of Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and New London (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). There should be some good war horses there.

“As you know it can be a long winter but they are all doing well. It won't be long until the middle of January then we will be back on the treadmill as they say.”

The post Appleby Outlines Targets For Stable Stars In The New Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Fans of the sport and others involved in racing have to listen to a lot of foolishness from those with a dim view of the breed. Many of us can hear the darling, nasal whine of the PETA-phile: “Thoroughbreds are too fragile; they're born to break down.”

Phooey.

Clearly, some horses are hustled off for breeding too early, frequently sound and healthy to race, but those are economic decisions; I'm not here to argue with that. Might as well fuss about the rain coming down.

The results of racing over the weekend, however, put a sizable dent in the argument for anyone suggesting that the breed isn't sound and capable of racing at a high level well past the early years we tend to feature in the headlines.

By my count, seven 5-year-olds won stakes on the weekend, along with multiple stakes winners aged six or seven. Among the 5-year-olds were the Afleet Alex horse Tiergan (Ashley T. Cole Stakes), the Stay Thirsty horse Mind Control (Parx Dirt Mile), the Curlin mare Golden Curl (Ricks Memorial), and the Galileo horse Nayef Road, winner of the Rose Bowl Stakes at Newmarket in England.

These are solid performers, some with quite good pedigrees, and yet they are mere colts and fillies in comparison to the genuine elder stakesmen (sic) of the racing community.

Consider, for example, that Pink Lloyd won again, this for the 27th time. He's a chestnut beast by Canada's leading sire, Old Forester (by Forestry), and is also a Horse of the Year in that lovely racing jurisdiction north of the 49th Parallel.

Unraced at two and three, Pink Lloyd won three of five at age four, was third in the Grade 2 Kennedy Road. The next year at five, Pink Lloyd became Canada's Horse of the Year. That was the same year that the 5-year-olds mentioned above were yearlings. Every year since, Pink Lloyd has won a Sovereign Award as champion in at least one division in his homeland.

From 36 starts to date, the gelding has won 27, with three seconds and two thirds, for lifetime earnings to date of $1,737,917.

A regular homebody who loves his Woodbine racecourse, Pink Lloyd has never raced anywhere else, and his triumph on Saturday in the G3 Bold Venture Stakes was the 9-year-old's 24th black-type success. He practically fills a catalog page by himself.

Others among the elder stakesmen include the world traveler Benbatl, a homebred in England for Darley who races under the banner of Godolphin. Benbatl has raced in five countries (England, Germany, UAE, Australia, and Saudi Arabia).

Unraced at two, Benbatl progressed so rapidly at three that he was entered in the Derby as the winner of a maiden, although placed second in the G2 Dante Stakes in his prep for the main event, and finished a creditable fifth. The son of Dubawi won his first G1 in the Dubai Turf as a 4-year-old, then followed with another G1 in Germany and the G1 Caulfield Stakes in Australia in the span of slightly more than six months.

At times in his career, then now-7-year-old Benbatl has been ranked the highweight on year-end handicaps in England, Germany, and the UAE. The winner of 11 races so far, Benbatl has earned more than $7.8 million.

Although Pink Lloyd and Benbatl are horses of championship level who have continued to race past the typical age for modern Thoroughbreds, the majority of older races are not so exalted. They make no headlines, earn no awards, but show the spirit of their forefathers and the quality of their foremothers.

Some campaign to quite an age, and the eldest stakesman of the weekend was the Talent Search sprinter Hollywood Talent, who won the Parx Turf Monster Stakes at five furlongs in :59.51.

Age 10, Hollywood Talent won his first graded stakes in the G3 Turf Monster, and that made an even dozen victories for the gelding, who has 11 seconds and seven thirds for total earnings of $635,071.

A quick horse from the start, Hollywood Talent won his debut at Keeneland in April of his juvenile season, then was second in the G3 Bashford Manor Stakes and third in the G2 Saratoga Special. In between those races and the Turf Monster, Hollywood Talent has plied his trade in minor stakes and allowance, occasionally dropping into claiming races and then starter allowances.

Brave and fast, Hollywood Talent is an example of the Thoroughbred who is an athlete to the core, and on his day of days, he rose to the occasion and stood in the winner's circle as a graded stakes winner and an ambassador for the breed.

The post Bloodlines: A Toast To The Elder ‘Stakesmen’ Of Horse Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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