Charlie Appleby believes Star Of Mystery has a big chance of giving Frankie Dettori another glorious night on the Dubai World Cup stage when they line up together in the Al Quoz Sprint.
Dettori, who scrapped plans to retire last season to extend his career in America, is the most successful jockey in the history of the £24million meeting with 23 wins, the vast majority of which came in the blue silks of Appleby’s boss Sheik Mohammed during a stint as Godolphin’s retained jockey.
Appleby has turned to 53-year-old Dettori because his current No 1 William Buick is unable to make the 8st 5lb Star Of Mystery has to carry.
Appleby said: ‘There is no one with as much experience around Meydan on World Cup night than Frankie. His Godolphin history is far longer and better than mine.
‘William can’t do the weight so I approached Frankie having watched the light weights that he has been doing all winter in America. I said to him, ‘she will give him a good spin round’. Star Of Mystery has thrived while she has been out here.’
Star Of Mystery, and jockey William Buick, pictured winning at the Dubai World Cup in January
Frankie Dettori will take the place of Buick for the upcoming event at Meydan
The Appleby-trained hope finished behind Frost At Dawn, one of her rivals tomorrow, when they clashed in the Nad Al Sheba Sprint at Meydan earlier this month but the trainer thinks the winner that day benefitted from a draw next to the running rail. He also reckons Star Of Mystery will improve for the return to six furlongs after the experience of her last two starts over five furlongs.
The trainer said: ‘Take nothing from the Frost At Dawn but potentially you could have switched the positions on the track in the Nad Al Sheba Sprint and we could have won.
‘Dropping back to five furlongs has taught Star Of Mystery to race and it will allow Frankie to ride a race on her and use that finishing speed she has shown on her last few runs.’
Appleby has four runners on the World Cup card — the others being Siskany (Dubai Gold Cup), Measured Time (Dubai Turf) and Rebel’s Romance (Sheema Classic).
The trainer has concerns about Siskany’s stamina for his two-mile race but feels that Rebel’s Romance, a winner in Doha last month, is back in good shape after recovering from an unnerving incident when racing in the US last July.
Appleby said: ‘He clipped heals in the Bowling Green Stakes (at Saratoga). He didn’t go down but Richard Mullen got a bad fall and he lost his confidence.
‘We went to Kempton for an easier assignment in December hoping he would gain confidence and you could see he did get it back.
‘We went to Qatar with a horse we felt was back on his A game. It got a good ride by William and some might say it was the ride which won the race but you have to have the horse underneath you. He was impressive and comes here in great nick but the Sheema Classic is probably the strongest race of the evening.’
Charlie Appleby remains confident that Dettori will be able to come good during the race
Fergie confident he’s found his winning spirit
Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping confidence inspired by success — which he instilled in his victorious football teams — will have the same positive effect when Spirit Dancer lines up in the $6milion Sheema Classic tomorrow.
The former Manchester United boss was the centre of attention yesterday as he watched the gelding he owns and bred in light exercise at Meydan racecourse.
Spirit Dancer, trained by Richard Fahey, arrives in Dubai on the back of wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this winter which have bagged him about £1.5m in prizemoney. But he faces his toughest ever test against a line-up headed by Aidan O’Brien’s 2023 Derby winner Auguste Rodin.
Ferguson, 82, said: ‘As a football manager you want your team to have confidence and that’s where we are with the horse.
‘He is in really good form so hopefully he can do himself justice.
‘It was a marvellous performance in Bahrain and his run in Saudi has given us the opportunity to be here.
‘You don’t turn these chances down when you are racing against the best horses in the world.’
Sir Alex Ferguson will hope that his horse, Spirit Dancer, finds success in the Sheema Classic
Appleby finds wisdom in using Guineas as prep for the Derby
Charlie Appleby is favouring running his big British Derby hope Ancient Wisdom in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4, providing the ground is not too quick.
The son of Dubawi delivered a positive end to a difficult 2023 season for Appleby with wins in Newmarket’s Autumn Stakes and the Group One Kameko Futurity Trophy at Doncaster which earned him odds of 25-1 for the Guineas and 10-1 for the Derby in June, his main aim.
Appleby believes the first Classic of the season offers the best stepping stone into the campaign for a colt, whose only defeat in five runs last season came behind the talented Rosallion at Ascot in July.
Appleby, who is planning a prep run in Newmarket’s Nell Gwyn Stakes for his leading 1,000 Guineas hope Dance Sequence, said: ‘Ancient Wisdom won the Futurity on very soft ground.
Charlie Appleby is favouring running his big British Derby hope Ancient Wisdom in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket
‘He is a horse we always held in high regard from early on. It was probably my fault for his defeat at Ascot — it was quick ground and I was lacking three-year-olds so having to utilise the two-year-olds a bit more than I would have liked.
‘He was very good in the autumn. We feel a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half will be his forte for the season ahead but people always say one of the best trials for the Derby is the Guineas — if the ground is on the soft side we will take a good strong view on it.
‘The timing is right. I could try and play a brave man’s game and miss the Guineas and go to the Dante Stakes at York (on May 16).
‘You can get Dante’s where it is lovely ground but it can be very quick, and if it is quick can you back a horse up two and a half weeks later in an English Derby? It might be a bit of an uphill struggle.’
