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Charlie Appleby Named Britain’s Champion Flat Trainer For Second Straight Year

Charlie Appleby has been crowned Champion Flat Trainer for the second year in a row at the HWPA Derby Awards at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London.

Appleby, 47, a retained trainer for Godolphin at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, fought off sustained challenges from John & Thady Gosden and William Haggas to keep hold of the Trainers' title.

It completes a clean sweep of the Jockeys', Trainers' and Owners' Championships for Godolphin in 2022, with the organization winning the Owners' title and retained jockey William Buick lifting his first Champion Jockey trophy on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot.

The Trainers' Championship runs from 1^st January – 31^st December 2021 and is based on prize money won in that period. However, with Appleby on £6,225,397 (*as of before racing Monday, Dec. 5^th) worth of prize money, he is more than £400,000 ahead of his nearest challenger Haggas, who has conceded the title with less than a month of the Championship remaining.

On winning the Championship, Appleby said: “I'm hugely proud of what myself and the team have achieved in backing the Trainers' Championship up for a second consecutive year. I'm very lucky to have the team at Moulton Paddocks and Godolphin and I'm extremely appreciative of their dedication.

“It was our aim at the start of the year to have the Champion Jockey, Trainer and Owner, for William (Buick) to get his first title was very exciting for us all. Everyone is out there to win, so what we've achieved this year in winning the three Guineas (English, Irish and French) has never been done before and cleaning up all these Championships, I'm not sure if that has been done before either. It's another feather in the cap for Godolphin and I'm very proud to be part of it.”

Overall, in Great Britain, this year Appleby has had 150 wins and 225 places from 478 runners (31% strike rate). Among those victories were 18 Group winners, with three Group 1s, including a one-two in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas with Coroebus and Native Trail, which was Appleby's first win in the Newmarket Classic.

“Winning the QIPCO 2000 Guineas was the highlight. It's something that personally I hadn't done before and had finished close on a few occasions. It's one of those races that I was very keen to get on the board. That was a very proud day,” Appleby said.

“Once Native Trail went and won the Irish Guineas, that bolstered the feeling even more, because we knew that achievement (holding the English, Irish and French 2000 Guineas at the same time) hadn't been done before. I imagine it will take a few years before it happens again!”

Appleby went on to have three victories at Royal Ascot in the shape of Coroebus (St James's Palace Stakes), Noble Truth (Jersey Stakes) and Naval Crown (Platinum Jubilee Stakes). He also took the leading trainer title at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, with five wins across the week, among them New London's win in the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes.

However, it was QIPCO British Champions Day which proved pivotal in the title race, with Haggas breathing down Appleby's neck ahead of Britain's richest raceday. Neither trainer had a winner on the day but runner-up placings for Modern Games (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes) and Adayar (QIPCO Champion Stakes) kept Appleby in front of Haggas, who had My Prospero and Baaeed in behind Adayar in the QIPCO Champion Stakes.

Appleby said of the title race: “In sport, when you're dealing with competitions like Premier League football or Formula One, in an ideal world you don't want to see runaway winners. For the fans and the public watching, they'd rather see competition right until the very end.

“With William (Haggas) and John & Thady (Gosden) competing with you, you're always going to be pushed right until the very end. This year William was chasing his first title, but it was really good and heathy competition. We enjoyed it, we had a bit of banter between ourselves, but most importantly from racing's point of view hopefully people were interested to see it go on right until the end.”

Hugh Anderson, managing director of Godolphin (UK & Dubai), said of Appleby's second title win: “On behalf of all of us at Godolphin, I want to offer huge congratulations to Charlie Appleby on winning the Trainers' Championship for the second year in a row. It's a great achievement and testament to his own skill as a trainer – the high points of this season are almost too many to mention but I would point to the three 2000 Guineas with 3 different colts and the Breeders' Cup hat-trick as being particular standouts.

“These are supreme training feats and he is setting a very high standard internationally as well as here in the UK. Of course, behind every great trainer is a fabulous team, which in Charlie's case extends well beyond Moulton Paddocks into our stud farms right across the Europe. Most importantly, he enjoys the full support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who I know will be delighted to learn that Charlie has again won this prestigious award.”

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High School Students Enjoy ‘Spectacular’ Riding A Dream Academy At Epsom

Ten students from Harris Academy Peckham in South London have become the first to take part in the Riding A Dream Academy's Regional Week, held at Epsom Downs Racecourse, home to the world-famous Derby.

The Regional Week is being rolled out thanks to funding from The Racing Foundation and is an extension to the Academy's existing programmes. It is designed to broaden access to horses and the racing world by taking the Academy out to communities and schools and is aimed at young people aged 14-18.

During the week (Monday, Nov. 28 – Friday, Dec. 2) the Year 10 students from Peckham South London, none of whom had any experience of racing or working with horses, had the chance to ride for the first time and look after five horses from the British Racing School. They also visited Pat Phelan's racing yard, undertook media training with ITV's Oli Bell and learned about the history of Epsom Downs and The Derby's status as the world's most prestigious flat race.

Charlotte Evans, Assistant Principal at Harris Academy Peckham said, “Our students have had a spectacular week at Epsom racecourse as part of the Riding A Dream Academy. It has been truly wonderful to see their confidence grow; see them step out of their comfort zone; and take part with them on a journey which has ultimately broadened their horizons. The beauty, majesty and therapeutic impact of horses is something so often not experienced when living in an inner city, and we are so very pleased that we have been able to expand our students' experiences through the people they met this week, the places they were able to visit and experience that will stay with them for a lifetime. We have all been made to feel very welcome and I hope this is a programme that we will continue to be able to offer our students in the future.”

Khadijah Mellah, in whose name the Academy was set up after she became the first British Muslim woman to win a UK horse race said, “It has been amazing to have Harris Academy Peckham with us for our first ever Riding A Dream Academy Regional Week. Peckham is where I grew up so I am so pleased that a school from my neighbourhood has been the first to take part in this new initiative for the Academy. It has been great to see the students bond with the horses and find out that, no matter where you come from, there is a place for everyone within racing.

“We are incredibly grateful to Epsom Downs and Jockey Club Catering who have been so generous in allowing us to use their amazing facilities throughout the week and looking after us. It has been a joy and privilege to have been able to teach young people to ride for the first time ever at the home of the world's most famous flat race.”

Jen Loomes, Inclusion & Diversity Lead at The Jockey Club, said, “It has been a pleasure to host the Riding A Dream Academy and Harris Academy at Epsom Downs this week. At The Jockey Club we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure racing is a sport where everyone feels welcome, and weeks such as this are a huge part of creating that initial love of the horse and seeing what a fantastic industry racing has to offer.”

The Riding A Dream Academy was set up after Khadijah Mellah made history by becoming the first British Muslim woman to win a UK horse race. Kindly funded by the Racing Foundation it supports young people from diverse communities and disadvantaged backgrounds to get into racing. In its pilot year (2021-22) 74% of its students came from a diverse ethnic background.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘If You Have Dreams, You Have To Take A Chance And Follow Them’

There's something to be said for a person who can not only recognize when they are making poor choices, but who can also step up and make the necessary changes to get back on track.

Especially when that person goes it alone.

Trainer Jeff Hiles' brighter path continues to pay dividends as he celebrated a win for the second year in a row in the $108,433 Claiming Crown Iron Horse Starter Stakes. This year, it was the $8,000 claim Time For Trouble who delivered a 3 ¼-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile contest.

The Churchill Downs winner's circle is a far cry from where Hiles found himself after returning from a five-year stint with the Marine Corps. He isn't proud of the decisions he made during the ensuing years, and at age 35 he found himself in a rut both personally and professionally.

“I was full of bad decisions when I got home,” Hiles said. “But I felt that I was capable of achieving so much more. I just started taking small steps, and I decided I wanted to follow my dreams of becoming a horse trainer like my father.”

That's Rick Hiles, veteran trainer of over 650 winners and longtime president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

Jeff Hiles certainly inherited his father's passion for the horses, and he recalls many late nights at the barn when he was a teenager.

“Once you get involved with them, it just becomes a part of you,” Hiles said. “I was kind of a troubled teen, so at night I would go out to the barn there at Churchill and just sit in the barn there with the horses. It was relaxing for my anxiety; they've always been kind of a relief for me.”

With that new goal and his equine passion at the front of his mind, Hiles moved back to Kentucky and took a job at a car dealership in Lexington. Though he made good money, it was a call from trainer Kenny McPeek that allowed Hiles to quickly transition back to the racetrack.

“All the horses were coming in from Florida, so I quit my job and started making almost nothing as a hotwalker,” said Hiles. “I thought I needed to work my way through the ranks. I worked my tail off to begin my career with Kenny. I sort of did anything we needed around the barn – clean stalls, groom, push feed carts and hot walk. If you want something bad enough, you'll do anything.”

The hardest part wasn't the work; it was overcoming the lack of support as he made the transition.

“Everybody told me to do the opposite of what I was doing – I can't think of one person who said, 'Follow your dreams,'” Hiles recalled. “But I think you can achieve anything you want as long as you work hard. If you have dreams, you have to take a chance and follow them because if you don't, one day you're going to regret it. I don't want to lay on my deathbed and think, 'I wish I had done this.'

“Horse racing is a lot of work but well worth it in the long run. I love this sport and my country. I'm glad I was able to serve in the Marines, then return to the industry I love.”

Hiles progressed quickly, moving up to the position as McPeek's Churchill Downs-based assistant trainer.

After a few years, Hiles' best friend Mickey Bailew started encouraging him to go out on his own.

“He's 25 years older than I am, but he's my best friend,” Hiles said. “He really pushed me, and he claimed my first horse for me in 2018 with Silver Time Racing. Honestly, I struggled my ass off for the first 2 1/2 years. I hauled horses on the side so that I could keep supporting my family.

“Mickey helped me a lot, and I never gave up. I don't know what it is. I just felt like this was what I was meant to do.”

Bailew passed away in 2020, just before Hiles' career started to take off.

“I know he'd be proud of me,” Hiles said.

It was in the spring of 2021 that Hiles was hired by former trainer Billy Denzik, now the racing manager for Louisville, Ky., businessman Brook Smith's Rocket Ship Racing.

“I don't know if the universe shifted or what,” Hiles quipped. “I travel with all my horses, and I haul them myself. I've run at a bunch of different places and I'm always there, so a lot of the clients that I've picked up, and my big client, Brook Smith, they noticed that. You know, attention to details. It's just worked out. Everything has worked out for me. Been lucky.”

Hiles improved his record from seven wins in 2020 to 15 wins in 2021, and this year the 42-year-old trainer has won 20 races and is closing in on $1 million in earnings.

His Claiming Crown winner, Time For Trouble, who Hiles owns in partnership with Paul Parker, is responsible for four of those wins in 2022.

Time For Trouble wins the Claiming Crown – The Iron Horse – Kent Stirling Memorial

The 5-year-old son of English Channel was an $8,000 claim at Churchill Downs on June 18, 2021.

“When I saw him I didn't think much of him; he's little bitty,” Hiles said. “The biggest thing with claiming one, though, is getting one that's sound. You'd think with big horses, they would go further, but it's actually the opposite. I'm 6'4”, and when I used to run in the Marines I got passed all the time by the little guys!

“It's because it takes me so much more energy to complete a stride than it does someone smaller; the same is true in horses.”

Time For Trouble hadn't run in especially long races over his career up to that point, and Hiles believed both his breeding and size would be beneficial for those longer spots.

The gelding won at first asking in a starter allowance at Belterra Park, then rebounded with a big second-place finish in a 1 ½-mile starter allowance at the lucrative Kentucky Downs meet. Time For Trouble ran poorly in his next start, so Hiles gave him the winter off and didn't run the gelding again until July of 2022.

That patience was rewarded with a three-race win streak: two starter allowances at Belterra and one at Kentucky Downs were added to the gelding's resume. In his final prep for the Claiming Crown, Time For Trouble ran second in a starter allowance at Keeneland.

Walking into the Churchill paddock with Time For Trouble on Claiming Crown day, Nov. 12, Hiles was confident.

“I thought he had as good a shot as anybody else,” Hiles said. “I was a little concerned about the distance (1 1/16 miles), that it might be too short. We were gonna enter him in the grass race (Emerald, 1 1/16 miles on turf), but fortunately we didn't because it came off the grass anyway (due to wet conditions). He's got a small foot and so I thought he'd handle the mud.”

Entering the winner's circle, Hiles quietly took the victory in stride.

“It felt like we made the right move and it paid off,” he said. “It's good to win a race at any track, and it was exciting for me because I won the race last year with Blue Steel. “All the guys were excited, and Paul's kids were excited, so I was more happy for them than I was for myself. I just felt like I did my job.”

Trainer Jeff Hiles, center in ball cap, celebrates with the connections of Time For Trouble after his victory in the Claiming Crown – The Iron Horse – Kent Stirling Memorial

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Bloodstock Agent, Consultant Harley Clemons Dies

Harley Clemons, a well-known Central Kentucky bloodstock agent and consultant, died Nov. 30 at the age of 82.

A nephew of late Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens, Clemons was predeceased by his parents Harley W. and Lillie Stephens Clemons and is survived by his wife, Pamela Spies Clemons, daughter Andrea Clemons, stepchildren Chris Howard, Ashley (Andy) Petry, Peter (Kristi) Howard, and six grandchildren. A great love throughout his life were his six Yorkies.

Born June 6, 1940, Clemons graduated from Layette High School where he was known as a great baseball player. He attended the University of Kentucky where he developed a passion for UK sports and Thoroughbred racing. He attended his first UK basketball game in 1952 and would often joke that the reason Pam married him was for his basketball tickets.

Clemons family business was OK Garage in Lexington but his future was with Kentucky's signature industry.

It was through Stephens, who mentored him from the age of 12, that Clemons developed his knowledge and acumen in Thoroughbred business. He was a Thoroughbred consultant and active at the racetrack and in sales, consulting on the purchase and racing careers of many great horses, including Hickory Tree Farm's 1983 champion 2-year-old Devils Bag and sire of sires Gone West, a son of Mr. Prospector he bought as agent for $1.9-million at the 1985 Keeneland July yearling sale. Both were trained by Stephens. During a 19-year tenure with Sheikh Maktoum's Gainsborough Farm, Clemons guided the careers of many stakes winners.

Clemons was a member of the Keeneland Club and Thoroughbred Club of America. He was also a Kentucky Colonel and a UK Fellow.

Two phrases that motivated Clemons throughout his life were: “You are doing something important if you can help a child” and “Keep the main thing the main thing (God).”

A Celebration of Life service for Clemons will be 2 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Kerr Brothers at 3421 Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington with Pastor Todd Nelson officiating. Visitation will be 12 p.m. till the time of the service on Tuesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to children's organizations, Shriners Children Hospital and Hospice of the Bluegrass (Bluegrass Care Navigators).

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