Spotlight on Saturday – Appleby holds Court at Newmarket

Charlie Appleby and William Buick had a weekend to remember at Newmarket as they completed a Guineas double with Ruling Court and Desert Flower.

The duo helped Godolphin to a majestic weekend that also saw the famous blue silks carried to glory in the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.

It was back-to-back wins in the 2000 Guineas for Appleby and Buick as Ruling Court ran down stablemate Shadow Of Light late on and the line came just in time to thwart the fast-finishing favourite Field Of Gold, who got up to take second spot in the final strides.

Sheikh Mohammed paid €2.3 million for him at last year's breeze-up sales in Deauville and Ruling Court looked a picture of equine excellence at Newmarket.

Buick favoured him over last year's champion juvenile Shadow Of Light seemingly with stamina in mind and, now, the Epsom Derby could be next.

At Sandown, he landed a trio of wins on the final day with Gaelic Warrior, Il Etait Temps and Jump Allen all obliging. He was denied in the bet365 Gold Cup as Resplendent Grey got up late under newly-crowned champion jockey Sean Bowen, but even then, Mullins saddled the next four home to top up his prize money.

Skelton was still £1.3m clear of Mullins at the end of the Cheltenham Festival last month but the reigning champion turned the title race on its head at Aintree and he was elated to win again.

"It was tough work the last few weeks and I feel sorry for Dan who was leading the whole way. We had a fantastic last few months and, when it became a possibility, we went for it," said Mullins.

"It's tough when you're beaten in what we can nearly call a photo-finish but we're very happy to win."

Big Race Analysis

William Buick had a tough choice on his hands for the first British Classic of the year, with the champion two-year-old of last season, Shadow Of Light, and the exciting Ruling Court both in the mix for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby.

A winter procession in the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas in Dubai and subsequent standout work performances on the gallops in Newmarket prompted Buick to side with Ruling Court and his decision was vindicated.

Drawn wide and racing without cover early on, Ruling Court set about mowing down stablemate Shadow Of Light as the field entered the Newmarket dip.

He got to Mickael Barzalona's partner with some degree of comfort and hit the front, and there was no doubting that Buick's decision to commit early proved a masterstroke as favorite Field Of Gold was briefly caught unawares and allowed the winner to steal some momentum.

He rattled home fastest under Kieran Shoemark but the Juddmonte runner couldn't bridge the gap, as John Gosden's wait to complete his personal set of the five British Classics agonisingly went on.

The disappointments of the race include Expanded and Scorthy Champ for Aidan and Joseph O'Brien respectively.

"It's very special," Buick said. "These races are what it's about and it's amazing to deal with these horses and to be able to ride them. He's shown just how good he is."

He would of course complete the Guineas double 24 hours later when Desert Flower proved best of the fillies' in the 1000 Guineas, completing a magnificent weekend for the rider, trainer Appleby and the worldwide Godolphin operation.

What's Next?

The Derby at Epsom has been pinpointed as the next step for Ruling Court, who was always expected to get further than a bare mile in time.

If he wins that June contest, all talk will centre on the Triple Crown, as sponsors Betfred have put up a £2m Triple Crown Bonus for any horse that can win the Guineas, Derby/Oaks and St Leger.

"It's good for the sport to have an incentive like this, so we'll go for the Derby and then we'll see where we are, but the Derby is a race we always saw him running in," Appleby said when asked about a Triple Crown bid.

As for Shadow Of Light, the Newmarket handler is targeting the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot next month with him, once more over the mile after his rider suggested he saw it out in good style in the Guineas.

Camelot was the last horse to attempt to win the Triple Crown, winning at Newmarket and Epsom in 2012 before finishing second in the St Leger at Doncaster for Aidan O'Brien.

Buick also feels Ruling Court is exactly the sort of horse that can thrive across the summer as the challenges change.

"He's so uncomplicated," Buick said. "We thought we'd just let him do his thing and he could get further as well. He's got a huge engine."

Saturday Statistics

Biggest SP winner of the Day – Muker (4.55 Thirsk) 22/1

Widest Margin winner of the Day – Shanbally Kid (3.05 Punchestown) 15 lengths

Successful Jockeys: George Downing (2), Robert Havlin (2), Rossa Ryan (2), Sean Quinlan (2), Kielan Woods (2), William Buick (2), Tom Marquand (2), Paul Townend (2), Paul Mulrennan (2), David Allan (2)

Successful Trainers: Ed Walker (4)