Timeform notes following Dubai Future Champions Festival at Newmarket

No doubting the star of Future Champions Festival

City Of Troy: perhaps the best Dewhurst winner in the last decade, arguably the most impressive in that period as well; little wonder he's a short price for both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby next year. With more to come, particularly over a mile or further, he's definitely as exciting a two-year-old prospect as we've seen in recent seasons.

Although there were some promising/useful rivals against him, all eyes were on the odds-on City Of Troy beforehand and he didn't disappoint. Last seen winning the Superlative in appropriate fashion at the July Festival, City Of Troy was every bit as commanding in landing the odds in the top two-year-old event of the year, by three and a half lengths from the recent Somerville Tattersall Stakes scorer Alyanaabi.

The Dewhurst wasn't run at a strong gallop and the winner made just about all, the second and third (Eben Shaddad) in those positions all the way as well, though it would be folly to suggest the winner was flattered. As in the Superlative, the winner tanked along and the way in which he drew clear in the final 300 yards was highly impressive. Although he's a good-moving colt, any doubt about his ability to handle the prevailing soft ground was swept away.

There's more than six months until we'll see City Of Troy again. I for one can't wait!

Big weekend for champion trainer

One of the on-going themes of the 2023 Flat season has been the absence of runners for the Charlie Appleby yard in a lot of the biggest races.

For the champion trainer in the last two years not to have a single runner on Champions Day this coming Saturday is an indication of how the stable's campaign has gone.

However, there were signs of hope at Newmarket last weekend, where Appleby ran seven and won with five, including landing three of the two-year-old pattern events.

The first of those three wins came courtesy of Dance Sequence in the Oh So Sharp Stakes. A well-made filly, she hadn't been out since her debut win on the July Course in the early-summer. She had been green that day and still looked as if the experience would do her good, so she deserves extra credit for overcoming the more streetwise Skellet, pushed out after leading in the final 50 yards or so.

Dance Sequence and Skellet came clear of some more exposed rivals, which is encouraging, and although beaten Skellet shaped with plenty of promise, building on her Salisbury maiden win. The Oh So Sharp, on the same card as the Fillies' Mile, hasn't got many stars on the roll of honour, Saffron Beach the notable exception in recent years. However, the first two this time have a rather different profile and it will be no surprise to see them make an impact in a Guineas trial, the Nell Gwyn or Fred Darling, in the spring.

The two Group 3 events on the Saturday card, the Autumn Stakes and Zetland Stakes, both resulted in impressive victories for the colts in blue.

Charlie Appleby has farmed both races in recent years, Ancient Wisdom his fourth successive winner of the Autumn, Arabian Crown the third in a row in the Zetland. Coroebus numbers among the Autumn winners, though there is a note of caution with the two earlier Zetland winners. Both looked very promising in winning this event, but they returned with a defeat in a Derby trial the following spring and were then gelded, neither seen since.

Ancient Wisdom had been given time after he'd finished third in the Pat Eddery at Ascot at the end of July and he looks to have done a bit of growing in the interim. His defeat by Rosallion at Ascot seemed a bit disappointing at the time, but that form has worked out as well as any race all season. Ancient Wisdom, suited by an extra furlong, doing his bit to boost it, produced a smart turn of foot and finished off strongly, well on top at the line.

Ancient Wisdom will be suited by middle distances at three, with his trainer suggesting the Dante might be a starting point. His full brother Intricacy has won at a mile and a quarter this summer, while his Galileo half-brother Shadowfax shows stamina if nothing else. Unfortunately he doesn't live up to his name, yet to reach a place in nine starts at up to an extended two-and-a-quarter miles.

The Autumn runner-up Chief Little Rock looks a galloper and very likely to need a fair bit further than a mile to shine at three. He has plenty about him physically and could well make up into a smart performer next summer. The disappointment of the race was the joint-favourite Arabic Legend, who was in trouble a long way from home, connections blaming the softer ground.

Just four went to post for the Zetland and the market suggested a match between Arabian Crown and the O'Brien representative Gasper de Lemos. It wasn't a match for long.

Arabian Crown dominated, travelling smoothly in front and in control all the way, drawing right away with more than a furlong to run. The form, produced over a testing mile and a quarter, probably has a bit less substance to it than that of the Autumn Stakes, but Arabian Crown is another that might well develop into a good middle-distance colt next summer.

That trio, as well as the one older winner, Highland Avenue, are all by Dubawi (Arabian Crown a typical Dubawi on looks). The odd-one-out among the Godolphin scorers was the Kingman filly Devoted Queen who landed a division of the fillies maiden on Friday. There wasn't much previous form to go on in this race, but there was a lot to like about the way Devoted Queen went about things.

A lengthy, attractive filly, Devoted Queen knew her job well, making smooth headway to get to the front and showing a good turn of foot to score impressively. She has a miler's pedigree. Her dam Fintry, who was trained by Andre Fabre, won the Atalanta Stakes and finished third in the Sun Chariot as a three year old after winning her only start at two. It's possible to envisage a similar sort of destination for Devoted Queen's career.

Don't give up on Humanity...

The second division of the maiden went to a newcomer with a rather stouter pedigree, Glimpsed, by Night of Thunder out of a half-sister to the Oaks winner Look Here. Five of the dam's six winners stayed at least a mile and a quarter, the best of them, Scope, has won over nearly two miles. There wasn't much depth to this division, but Glimpsed and the once-raced favourite Get The Music On came well clear and Glimpsed scored decisively.

The Cornwallis Stakes, which opened the two-day meeting, attracted a decent sized field, though they weren't a great bunch on looks. Inquisitively, wearing bandages behind, isn't a particularly substantial sort for a sprinter, but he's progressed well in four runs, adding a Group 3 win to his success in listed company at York last time.

Inquisitively made all from stall 1, though the race might have had a different complexion had Zoulu Chief, drawn in stall 2, not been withdrawn on account of the ground. Zoulu Chief is all speed and had raced clear for a long way in the big-field sales race at Newmarket the previous weekend. However, he ran out of steam late on over six furlongs and looked a really interesting contender back at five. Hopefully Zoulu Chief will get his chance at the minimum in due course.

The older-horse events at the meeting generally had a little less interest to them, with the pattern and listed contests having a distinct end-of-season feel. Highland Avenue in the Darley Stakes was gaining a first win since the 2021 Guineas meeting. Just four lined up for the Challenge Stakes, in theory one of the top seven-furlong contests of the year, and Matilda Picotte was the only one of the quartet to give their running.

The Boadicea Stakes was as ever a scramble to get some black type before the campaign ends. This wasn't a great field on looks and a few of them were starting to look past their best. As such the form isn't likely to be the most reliable. The Pride Stakes was run in a storm, with little visible from the stands.

The obvious exception is the Old Rowley Cup. Alsakib and Shadow Dance, two of the least exposed in the field, came clear in the closing stages, Alsakib showing a willing attitude in wearing down his rival. Alsakib isn't particularly stoutly bred, though he shapes as if he will stay further than a mile and a half.

He could well make up into a listed/pattern preformer next summer, though apparently has the Qatar Derby as his target.

Shadow Dance, who's a bit on the leg, was making just his fifth start and there was plenty to like about the way he went through the race. He could well have more to offer as a four year old. However, perhaps the most interesting in the field is one who flopped, Humanity.

He looked the pick of the weights, under a penalty for an impressive win at Kempton, and he was the pick of the field in physique as well, a well-made son of Roaring Lion. However, Humanity looked all at sea on soft ground back on turf and didn't give his running. He is well worth forgiving this blip.

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