Charlie Appleby's first two-year-old runner of the year Al Hudaiba makes winning start at Newmarket

Coventry calling for Al Hudaiba?

Charlie Appleby celebrated a welcome winner to end a recent lean spell after Al Hudaiba hit the ground running with victory in the EBF Novice Stakes.

Having gone 21 days and 28 runners without a victory, the Godolphin handler, whose last winner was Opera Ballo in the Group Two bet365 Mile at Sandown Park, was on the mark at his home track with his first two-year-old runner of the season in the six furlong test.

Sat just off the early pace, the son of Dark Angel swept through with 4/7 favourite Mrair, who was playing catch up after missing the break.

Although the pair pulled smartly clear off the rest of the field it was Al Hudaiba who was to emerge triumphant with Connor Planas pushing his mount out to score by a length and a half from the odds-on market leader.

Alex Merriam, assistant trainer, said of the 5/1 winner: “It is nice to get a winner and we like Newmarket. He was our first two-year-old runner so it is nice to get the first one out. He has shown a nice level so hopefully the next ones will run to a bit of a level as we know slightly where we are.

“It was a nice starting point and he has taken that all in his stride. He hasn’t done a huge amount, but all the earlier ones have come along together. He is probably seven furlong horse in time. There are no big plans, but I would presume he would probably run in another novice I would have thought.”

And while it has been an uncharacteristically quiet spell for Appleby and his team, Merriam admits that no panic buttons have been pressed.

He added: “They all ran well enough here at the Guineas meeting. I know they didn’t win, but on another day we might have had three or four winners. They have all run in decent races and hopefully they are nice horses.

“This time of year you are running in trials to find where you are. Nothing has massively disappointed. Abashiri ran a nice race in the 1000 Guineas, Distant Storm ran a nice race in the 2000 Guineas and so did King’s Trail, who was fourth in the Dante."

Paddy Power and Sky Bet make Al Hudaiba a 33/1 shot for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Appleby didn’t have to wait long for his next winner to arrive asTales Of Wisdom made his first start on turf a triumphant one when taking a step up to a mile in his stride in the Debenhams Novice Stakes.

After running out a wide-margin winner over seven furlongs on his debut at Southwell in December the gelded son of Blue Point then failed to back it up in a first time hood over the same trip at Kempton Park last month.

However, with the hood dispensed with, the 11/4 chance bounded on strongly close home under Dougie Costello to defeat Bayaann by three quarters of a length to complete a double on the day for Appleby.

Merriam said: “We had the hood off the first day and we thought maybe he was a bit keen that day so we put it on him the last day, but we took it off again today.

“He travelled into it nicely and he was entitled to get a bit lonely in front, but I thought he did it quite nicely. I think you could possibly go up in trip again, but he has got a high cruising speed and he looked comfortable there.

“He can be a bit of a boy at home, but Dougie rides him at home and he does a good job with him. Charlie could find a handicap for him now. It was a competitive race without being a deep race, but he is one to hopefully look forward to.”

Rest of the action

Members of Quest Thoroughbreds syndicate can potentially look forward to trips to Betfred Derby day at Epsom Downs and to Royal Ascot following the victory of Asgard’s Captain in the Boodles Handicap.

Following a spell in Meydan during the winter, the gelded son of Make Believe beat only one rival home on his return to racing in Britain in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Great Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom Downs last month.

However, the six year old left that form behind when powering through late on in the mile and a half contest under Luke Morris before scoring by a length to give trainer Dylan Cunha his second winner on the day having earlier been on the scoresheet at York with Zarathos.

Jordan Hopkins, Quest Thoroughbreds syndicate manager, said: “The horse would run through a brick wall for you, but he always hits those flat spots and he just needs riding through them.

“I still can’t believe he has picked up like that and won. It is pretty special to win at my home track. I bought this horse with Matt Coleman, who I did two or three years' work with, and I owe a lot to him for helping me get a foot into the industry.

“We bought him about three years ago on an online sale and he has won eight races now and he has improved from a mark of sixty three. He has been a star.

“He will go to the Northern Dancer on Derby day now. He has run in that the last two years. He was third in the first year and fourth last year so hopefully we can go a few places better.

“He will definitely go to Derby day, but I’d really like to get him into the Copper Horse at Royal Ascot. It is now a 0-100 so it will be highly subscribed, but now he is going to be a little bit higher he could sneak into that.”

Trainer George Scott might have been out of luck with highly regarded debutant Mrair, however stablemate O’Gorman set up a potential trip to the Royal meeting with victory in the Juddmonte EBF Restricted Novice Stakes.

Named after former trainer Bill O’Gorman, the son of Sergei Prokofiev was one of two runners in the six furlong contest burdened with a six pounds penalty on his back following his last time out victory at Kempton Park.

However, that failed to stop the 15/8 favourite, who was purchased for 20,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, from running out an impressive three and a quarter length winner under Oisin Murphy to set up a potential tilt at next month’s Coventry Stakes.

Scott said: “He is improving with every start. It was very straightforward today. He was well positioned and showed a lot of quality. He has carried that penalty, which is never easy to do at Newmarket so I’m happy.

“He will definitely be looking at something like the Coventry Stakes. He has done nothing wrong at all.

“I would suspect he has put himself in that conversation, especially if we got a bit of rain around then as he would handle a bit of cut in the ground as he is a big, strong mature horse. Bill O’Gorman bought him, and we have had the name in reserve for some time, and we decided he might be the right horse to give it to.”

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