Charlie Appleby: Godolphin up for Classic fight after O'Brien's Guineas double

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby vowed on Tuesday to do his utmost to disrupt Coolmore's Classic domination after Aidan O’Brien's double Guineas triumph at Newmarket at the weekend with Magna Grecia and Hermosa.

In winning the Investec Derby last year with Masar, Appleby stands out as one of only three trainers – along with Richard Hannon and John Gosden – to have deprived O’Brien in the last 12 Classics run in Britain, and on Monday he underlined his appetite for the battle at the top level.

Appleby said: “We want to be competitive in the big races and at the big meetings – it’s where we’ve got to be. It’s a sport and I feel we’re very sporting as they are at Coolmore. We’re the first to congratulate each other and it’s great for the sport if we can both be competing at the top of the game."

Masar's victory at Epsom came after a strong start to the season for Appleby which had not translated into Classic success, and the trainer admitted to frustration at not being able to land the prizes while O'Brien carried off two of the first three races.

“Last year we had a fantastic spring with our Classic horses. We won both the trials at the Craven meeting and then Saxon Warrior came along and beat us in the Guineas and we didn’t win the 1,000 Guineas either," he said.

"We then had the favourite for the Oaks and we finished second to them again – the drive home that night wasn’t the best, I can tell you. I was thinking to myself what more can I do to win these races and then the following day we show up and win the Derby. That’s what’s great about this sport.”

Godolphin jockey William Buick and Charlie Appleby at Moulton Paddocks on TuesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Despite the Coolmore stranglehold on the Classics, Appleby insisted both he and Sheikh Mohammed would not be pressured into running horses in races such as the Derby just to be seen to be competing.

Line Of Duty, ironically by Coolmore sire Galileo, is set to head to Epsom, but the trainer is not yet sure who, if anyone, will join him.

He said: “The calibre of racing we’re talking about you want to be running horses who can compete, not those just making up the numbers because those horses could still make up into nicer horses later in their careers if they are handled right.

“The Derby is the greatest race of the year to win and if we have a horse of that calibre who can compete then that’s the right horse to run in the race, if not then it’s not.”

Charlie Appleby poses with Cross Counter and the Melbourne CupCredit: Michael Dodge (Getty Images)

Since being parachuted in to replace the disgraced Mahmood Al Zarooni in 2013, Appleby has landed a string of big races, including the Melbourne Cup, and he feels he is in a comfortable position to make the right decisions for his horses.

“We’ve never had any pressure here internally. Six years ago [when I started] the questions about us here were whether we could produce Classic horses and Group 1 horses and we’ve been able to do that. Winning the Classics and winning the Group 1 races is where we want to be," he added.

“I like to think I’m a relaxed enough character in general to be able to deal with things and ensure I approach it in the right way. What Sheikh Mohammed gets is that he knows what we are doing is what’s best for his horses.”

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