Native Trail landed the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh but it was a workmanline success.
William Buick was content to take a lead aboard the 2/5 favourite and found racing room to make his challenge two furlongs out.
However he struggled to put the race to bed quickly but was well on top at the finish, scoring by a length-and-three-quarters from the strong-travelling New Energy (40/1) who looked a big threat a furlong out but had to settle for second.
Imperial Fighter (28/1) was third for the Andrew Balding team.
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Betfair and Paddy Power cut the winner to 4/1 from 5/1 for the St James's Palace Stakes and 5/1 from 6s for the Sussex Stakes. Sky Bet are 4s from 5s for the Royal Ascot feature.
Appleby was winning a third 2000 Guineas of the spring and said: “To be honest, I was delighted the rain didn’t come, for a big horse and a horse with his action I’m always more confident when he’s on a sounder surface. I was going to give an excuse coming into today that the slower side of good would be a negative, I’m a believer that good horses can get through, but I’m delighted it’s raining now and not before the race.
“I was confident in William and the horse, William knows him so well and has rode him all of his racing career and plenty at home. He knows what this horse can do. The thought process before the race was to try to get out and get a box seat but once it wasn’t there, I could see what William was doing. It was one of those nice races to watch.
“I knew once he angled him out, gave him the office and told him to go to work it’s the one thing this horse doesn’t do, he won’t falter. When you ask him, he’ll give it to you. He’s done it in spades in the end.”
🇬🇧 Coroebus 🇫🇷 Modern Games 🇮🇪 Native Trail
👏 Charlie Appleby completes a remarkable 2000 Guineas treble - the first trainer 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 to win all three in the same season with three different horses! pic.twitter.com/p3zvmxoQHp
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) May 21, 2022
Appleby is the first trainer since Aidan O’Brien in 2002 to land all the three versions of the Guineas. While the Ballydoyle handler did it with two colts in Rock Of Gibraltar and Landseer, Appleby is thrilled to have achieved the feat with three individual runners, Coroebus at Newmarket, Modern Games ParisLongchamp and now Native Trail.
He added: “I’m delighted for the whole team, delighted for Godolphin and Sheikh Mohammed. To do what’s been done over the last month is a huge achievement, more importantly for the team at home and for his Highness. It’s the first time it’s ever been done with three different colts in the three Guineas. It’s a huge achievement for everybody and I’m delighted to be part of it.
“I knew coming into today, as calm and collected as you try to be, I knew what we were trying to achieve. Firstly trying to win a Guineas but, dare I say, trying to make history. That’s what this horse has done for the whole team today. It was more pressure than sometimes I’m used to.”
Sheila Lavery was delighted with the effort of New Energy who made a huge leap in level to be beaten a length and three-quarters.
She said: “I’m thrilled and I was really looking forward to running him. He has run four times and he won his maiden here first time, but in the other races he hasn’t been able to get a proper lead. In the Tetrarch he had to lead and we weren’t quite sure exactly what we had.
“Billy (Lee) gave him a beautiful ride and the only thing is my heart goes out to Robbie Colgan, who would have been on him except that he got injured off a horse at my place a couple of weeks ago. He’ll be back riding on Tuesday.
“It was just fantastic and I’m delighted for John (Lavery, owner) who has put so much money into it, and faith in me. Ted Durcan and I bought him. We put him in the St James’s Palace but we could always have dropped back to the Jersey. Billy thinks he’s still going to improve from that, because he’ll have learned from that. I think we’ll go to the St James’s, why not live the dream.”
Weekend Best Bets | Irish 1,000 Guineas day at Curragh and the Sunday Series at York
Ascot could also be on the agenda for the three-quarter-length third Imperial Fighter, according to his trainer Andrew Balding.
He said: “He ran a smashing race. He probably, ideally, could have done with the ground even softer, but he is fairly versatile. I haven’t heard any more than that. It looked like Ben (Coen) gave him a really good ride. I was thinking we could go a mile and a quarter in the Hampton Court, but it depends. If Ben says a mile is his trip, he won’t be going there.”
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