Is this the day Charlie Appleby tees up an awesome British season? Classic clues ramp up on day two of the Craven meeting

When asked in Dubai last month to reflect on a disappointing 2023, Charlie Appleby looked to the future and said he was hopeful a much stronger batch of three-year-olds could help him once again make his presence felt in the British trainers' championship.

It was not long ago he was the dominant force. Appleby won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 but failed to make an impression in Britain last season, finishing eighth in the championship with a total of £2.8 million in prize-money, heavily down on a remarkable £6.3m the previous year.

Of course, some perspective is needed and it was far from a disastrous return. The trainer still sent out 106 winners, which is no mean feat, scored at the Breeders' Cup for the third year in a row with Master Of The Seas and proved reports of his downturn were greatly exaggerated when winning a flurry of Group races at the end of the year, including the Futurity Trophy with Ancient Wisdom.