BOYLE Sports Lockinge Stakes report, reaction, analysis and free video replay

Money came for the Godolphin-owned five-year-old throughout the day and he was sent off the 2/1 favourite in a strong field of 10 having been third best in the market on Friday.

The support wasn't misplaced as Charlie Appleby's son of Dubawi travelled strongly under William Buick off a fast pace and in the final furlong he put the race to bed with a strong late surge.

Two lengths ahead of the rest at the line, this was a deserved fifth top-level success for this excellent miler.

More Thunder (9/1) came out of the pack to chase him down in second, with Zeus Olympios (4/1) third.

It was a welcome win for Appleby who had been struggling for winners until a Newmarket double on Friday and he has a strong hand in this division now after stablemate Opera Ballo's Group 2 bet365 Mile success at Sandown last month.

That horse could go back out in trip and the door may have been opened for that now Notable Speech has put down an early marker amongst the older milers.

Indeed, the Lockinge winner is now the 6/4 favourite from 6/1 for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot with Paddy Power and a 5/2 chance generally.

Appleby said: “They weren’t going a mad gallop, they were going even fractions, and I was happy with that as not too many horses can quicken like he can.

“I thought once it turned into a little bit of a burn up in the last couple of furlongs Will was on the right horse. Does he need a lead horse? I don’t think so really.

“Will just knows him and he has got all the confidence in him and I have the confidence in the pair of them. I as I always say to Will you are either going to be a hero or a villain. You just have to sit and when you want to go you sit again and then just let him off.

“I want to thank the team at home as they have done a great job. Colm O’Donoghue rides him and he said he was in the form of his life, but all the guys that around him and look after him do a fantastic job. I’m delighted for them, but more importantly I’m delighted for the horse as that is a stallion making career win for him.

“As I said at York you have got to keep a steady hand on it all and I had confidence that the horses looked well and they were well in themselves. I said to the team don’t change anything as it has worked for the last fifteen years so let’s stick to the plan, and thankfully they have hit the board again.

“The Queen Anne is the obvious next step. We did it last year. I felt that, we weren’t unlucky in the Queen Anne, but they went very slow and to be fair to Will we have learnt about this horse. Had Will known what he is like now in the Queen Anne last year I think we would have been very close to the Queen Anne last year. Naturally he is going to go straight to the Queen Anne now. Opera Ballo is going to go as well so that will be a good race for ourselves.

“I go there more relaxed with Notable Speech now as all I wanted him to do was win a Group One (as an older horse) in Europe for his stallion career and he has gone and done that now and it is richly deserved.

“I’ve never been worried, and I feel it is a sign of weakness if you start worrying. Some horses just aren’t good enough and they are finding their level. Of course it was lovely to have those couple of winners yesterday to springboard into the weekend, but it wouldn’t have worried me if they hadn't won as I knew this horse was one hundred and ten percent ready."

Buick said: “He is a horse with a big turn of foot and I was really just biding my time on him and pick the right horses to follow through. It didn’t need to be complicated, and I don’t think it necessarily was. That is the type of horse he is.

"As you can see he has got that explosive turn of foot and comes on the scene late. I’ll be honest I thought he was absolutely exceptional today and he felt amazing. It was a great training performance by Charlie and the team to get him back here in this shape.

“He went to Keeneland thinking we would win, but he never got a fair crack at it at all. It was such a frustrating race for him, but we knew we had to get over here and come here in good shape which he did. It is always nice to correct those frustrating losses and it is nice to get him back on track.”

Beaten connections eye Royal rematch

Haggas said of More Thunder: “I’m delighted with him. He ran a very good race and got the trip. He was a little bit far back, possibly, early, but he jumped better than usual and stayed on well. The winner had a good turn off foot and we stayed on very nicely. I still think he is pretty capable at seven furlongs, but the mile was no problem today. Why not roll on to the Queen Anne.”

Burke said: “It was his first run in a Group One and we were just debating there as he still ran a bit green. He ran away from the stick a furlong out. A furlong and a half out I thought we were the winner, but I didn’t really see how well William was travelling until I saw the replay. It is a positive step forward from Sandown as we knew it would be, but he is still a little bit of a work in progress.

"That was only his sixth run in his life and first in a Group One. I still think he can drop in one somewhere. He half stumbled coming out of the stalls and he then got in a good position. Clifford just thought if he had a bit better draw they would have chased him along. I’m not saying he would have won, but he might have been closer for second. He is in the Queen Anne, but we will see how he is and discuss it.”

Roger Teal said of fourth home Dancing Gemini: “He was further back than we wanted, but that was a good performance and I’m delighted with that. I thought he was going to get third for a moment. Another ten yards and he would have done as it looked like he was flying at the death as he came from a long way off the pace there.

"We are likely to go up in trip now. We planned on going up in trip before this race and I think he has proved, with the way he has finished, that he wants a couple more furlongs. He will go ten furlongs now in the Prince Of Wales’s at Royal Ascot.”

Richard Brown, speaking on behalf of Wathnan Racing, said of sixth home Damysus: “James (Doyle) said he travelled well but that he didn’t quite have that zip. Whether that was the trip I don’t know. It is a little bit inconclusive and I wouldn’t want to rush to any conclusions about the trip to be honest with you. The winner is exceptional, and he has got a phenomenal turn of foot.

"I certainly wouldn’t discount running him over a mile again. We will get him home and let the dust settle and put our heads together next week and make a plan.”

Analysis: Speech is miler King

This was an authoritative success from NOTABLE SPEECH who has planted his flag at the top of the older miler division mountain.

Mississippi River and The Lion In Winter ensured that this was run at the very least a good even gallop and that suited the strong-travelling son of Dubawi, who tanked through the race in the hands of William Buick.

There was a moment deep into the contest where Buick went one way and then spotted a better path behind Damysus the other, resulting in a quick switch which the nimble-footed Notable Speech took in his stride.

Straightened up for his final flourish, he took off thanks to a swift turn of foot and this was impressive. He was much too good against what looked a deep field.

With a straight mile right in his wheelhouse the Queen Anne looks his for the taking at Royal Ascot, Paddy Power going 6/4 straight after the race and that looks fair enough, probably nearer the mark than the general layers who go 5/2.

A bigger question might be if he bumps into the three-year-olds later in the campaign, a clash with Bow Echo one to look forward to if it transpires, but on summer ground he’s going to be tough to beat, especially against the older horses.

Last year he was beaten in the Lockinge after being too fresh and keen, but this time around he’d had a run at Keeneland in April and that looked to have done him the world of good.

In contrast, William Haggas couldn’t get a run into More Thunder and he ran a fine race in second on his seasonal reappearance.

He was the only one to come out of the pack to give the winner a race and that was after he was fresh and keen early towards the rear of the group on the stands’ side.

Maureen Haggas said he had an away day with Lake Forest which went well and brought him on, but he looks highly likely to come on for this run and being back at a mile looks no issue.

He too was cut for the Queen Anne, into 8/1 generally, and while he has work to do to close the two lengths down with the winner, having this run under his belt might help.

Zeus Olympios settled better on the far side after taking a stumble coming out of the stalls and may have been a tad inconvenienced by track position but he ran well in third.

Whether he can crack a mile at the top-level remains to be seen, but now he’s settling better Karl Burke has the option of exploring 10 furlongs with him and that might not be a bad shout at some point.

Like More Thunder, he’s by Night Of Thunder and he’s out of a Siyouni mare, one who was related to jumps horses, so he might appreciate more of a stamina test in time.

If he settles over 10 furlongs he could have the pace to trouble plenty in that sphere. (Ben Linfoot)

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