Charlie Appleby has given a positive update on his Guineas winners Ruling Court and Desert Flower ahead of their further Classic tilts at Epsom next month.
Ruling Court is 4/1 second favourite for the Betfred Derby after he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier in the month, while Desert Flower is Oaks favourite after she won the fillies' race on the Rowley Mile, both under William Buick.
Appleby doesn't feel the need to take the pair to an away day at Epsom in front of the watching media and he's confident they both have the attributes to win over a mile and a half at the track.
Speaking at Newbury on Saturday, Appleby said: “I have used it before (Breakfast With The Stars), but with horses of a different profile admittedly as well. I don’t feel the need to go there. I don’t see the positives of going there. It was never on the radar to do it and even after both races I still feel there is no need to go. They have both had enough runs under their belts.
"Ruling Court has gone left handed at Meydan, and I know it is not an undulating track, but they are both balanced enough horses and you saw that with the way they went through the Dip at Newmarket.
“I think (he will be able to take everything in at Epsom) we saw that Newmarket as he was a different horse in the UAE Guineas to the English Guineas in his temperament around the paddock.
"We had admittedly prepped ourselves with the precaution of going down to post early, but even when I saddled him I felt he was a different horse and one that was maturing mentally as he was great to saddle. He walked around the back then took a few turns in the main ring and didn’t turn a hair and went down to post well.
“The filly has not done as much travelling as she has only been to Doncaster, but again she has just got that mindset in that nothing seems to faze her too much. Dare I say they are two straightforward horses.
“Both of them are stepping up half a mile but what I do believe in when you have good horses like that is sometimes they don’t have to stay a true mile and a half at Epsom. You have got to be able to travel there. Those St Leger horses they end up finishing fifth or sixth and one thing you have got to do at Epsom is travel to keep balanced coming down that hill.
“The filly, as Will said, twice he has ridden her at the Rowley Mile and twice she has had to be pulled up at the cricket pitch so that speaks in itself and I think you can probably say the same about Ruling Court.
"Of course there is always going to be that if, but we go in there with confidence and Will ride them with confidence they will get the trip.”
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