Charlie Appleby believes he will train his horse to victory in the £1.4m Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Saturday.
The Godolphin trainer has dominated championship racing in recent years, winning the award three years in a row. In 2021, he won his first race this year with the Space Blues team in Del Mar, California.
He returned to Keeneland the following year and won the trophy with the winner of the Classic Modern Game. Godolphin took home two runs to beat the Saeed Bin Surour-trained Mawj at Santa Anita last year. The 2024 Mile could be the most competitive race on the entire schedule with eight top winners including fellow European stars Ramatuelle and Porta Fortuna.
But Appleby is confident of his rivals’ impressive performance this year in the Breeders’ Cup, where Trainor boasts 10 wins from 20 starts and a 50 per cent strike rate. “If he ticks all the boxes this week and gets a good draw, he’ll be dangerous,” Appleby said. “That’s the word I’m using, it’s the word that’s been documented, but I can’t work it out. “He’s a Guineas winner, a Sussex winner and probably one of the best horses to ever show in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He is three years older in his career. “I think he deserves to be a contender and he performed well in Group 1.”
He continued: “Had a great trip to California today. The next few hours will be crucial to see how he adjusts to all of this. “I’m happy with his training. He went out last week at the racecourse and I was very happy with him. The results were good and he was doing very well until he got on the plane on Thursday. “If you have a good draw, you want to be able to run and hit it well. “He’s doing really well in the races and I’ve always felt that the Breeders’ Cup is a good fit for him.”Appleby is seeking the first four-peat in Breeders’ Cup history for trainers, owners and breeders.”What else can I say about him?” he concluded. “He’s one of the best horses to go to a meeting with. Give him a good week and he’ll touch everything.”
