Tough times for Charlie Appleby - and hints of Dubawi's waning influence suggests this might be more than just a blip

These are challenging times for Charlie Appleby’s Newmarket stable. A fruitless Royal Ascot, where the trainer saddled 18 runners, preceded an Irish Derby on Sunday in which Godolphin are not represented. Something is not quite right with the headline horses at Moulton Paddocks.

There has been no obvious fall-off in runners, itself the clearest indication a stable is ailing in some way, and Appleby’s strike-rate, always among the highest, has barely dipped of late. Strip out his Royal Ascot runners and Appleby had six winners from seven runners in the last two weeks, albeit five of them at odds-on.

But winners at lesser fixtures are not what Godolphin are about. Royal Ascot is where elite outfits must punch their weight and Appleby drew a blank at a venue where he saddled four winners last year and two in 2021. He was also unrepresented in all six races for two-year-olds, which is a rarity in itself.