Mick Appleby

Big Evs And Big Mojo Work At Southwell Ahead Of The Breeders' Cup

The Breeders' Cup-bound duo of Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}) both pleased trainer Mick Appleby after taking spins around Southwell on Thursday. The pair, owned by Paul and Rachael Teasdale's RP Racing, will be ridden at Del Mar next month by Tom Marquand, who was aboard for Thursday's activities. In a similar move that resulted in Grade I accolades last term, Big Evs galloped five furlongs along the home bend before finishing at the one-furlong mark in company with stablemate Blind Beggar (Ire)...

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Autumn Plans Revealed For Mick Appleby Stars

Fosnic Racing's multiple group winner Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {Ire}) is eyeing another G3 Bengough Stakes win this autumn, trainer Mick Appleby revealed. The 5-year-old won that six-furlong race last October, before taking second in a Lingfield listed race in his 2024 debut. Successful in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint in February, the entire was unplaced in the G1 Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock in September, but displayed a return to form when third in the G3 World Trophy Stakes on Sept. 21. He has also been penciled in to contest...

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Big Wins…Big Offers

Goodwood, UK -- In a near-repeat performance of last year, a Mick Appleby-trained 'Big' horse by a first-season sire, running in the red and blue silks of Paul and Rachael Teasdale's RP Racing Ltd, scorched to success in the G3 Molecomb Stakes.  What came next for Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) was several victories moving up through the grades and rounding off his juvenile season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. It is a pretty safe bet that with each new victory came larger and larger offers...

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Annaf Misses Dubai Date Due to Travel Setback

Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) has been ruled out of the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night having picked up a respiratory illness in transit. Trained by Mick Appleby, Annaf was last seen securing a lucrative payday for his connections when landing the $2-million G2 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia, bursting clear in the closing stages to win by three quarters of a length. The five-year-old had another big pot in his sights in the shape of the $1.5-million Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Saturday, March...

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Annaf To Skip Japan And Instead Likely For The Al Quoz Sprint

In fine fettle following a victory at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh is Mick Appleby trainee Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), who is likely to take his chance at the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup night. Successful in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint, the Fosnic Racing silksbearer and G1 King's Stand S. third won a Doncaster handicap in September, prior to the G3 Bengough S. a month later. Second in the Listed Kachy S. at Lingfield, the 5-year-old entire's conqueror that day, Diligent Harry (GB) (Due Diligence),...

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Mick Appleby Duo Test The Riyadh Turf

Fosnic Racing's Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Gary Allsopp's Roberto Escobarr (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) both worked over the King Abdulaziz turf course ahead of intended starts on the G1 Saudi Cup undercard in Riyadh on Wednesday for trainer Mick Appleby. The son of Muhaarar, who won the G3 Bengough S. in October, ran second in a Lingfield listed race earlier this month, a prep for the G2 Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint on Saturday. He galloped 1200 metres Wednesday morning. "Annaf worked over six furlongs [1200m] on the grass...

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Breeders' Cup Friday Aftermath

All five of the 'Future Stars Friday' winners at Santa Anita appeared to emerge from the efforts unscathed, with connections looking forward to their Classics campaigns in 2024. The very domination of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) will likely have put the colt at the head of the class for champion 2-year-old honors, and the Repole Stable homebred looked good Saturday morning. "We were extremely happy with the way Fierceness ran," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "The race kind of unfolded the...

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Big Day for Europe? That's Unquestionable  

ARCADIA, USA -- A clean sweep for Europe in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. How about that to start the Breeders' Cup? And then for the closing act, a one-two for Aidan O'Brien in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after the drama of the early-morning scratching of race favourite River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). For the curtain up, Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), named to honour a fallen friend, paid the best possible tribute to the late Paul Evans in giving his British owners Paul and...

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Big Evs Proves Equal To The Task in the Juvenile Turf Sprint

RP Racing's Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) came into Friday's GI Breeders' Juvenile Turf Sprint carrying great expectation. The 2-year-old's trainer, Mick Appleby, was making his Breeders' Cup debut, as was jockey Tom Marquand. Far from newcomers in their respective bases in the UK, the duo had to travel a long way for this year's World Championships at Santa Anita, but the voyage proved worth their while as the Irish-bred proved best in a blistering renewal of the five-furlong turf test. "I'm still gobsmacked," said a visibly moved Appleby...

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Big Evs is Breeders' Cup-Bound

RP Racing's Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) will make his next start in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, trainer Mick Appleby confirmed on Tuesday. The colt has won three of five career starts, including the G2 Flying Childers S., G3 Molecomb S. and Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot, and has banked £180,665. "He's in good form, we've just freshened him up a bit and he seems in good order," said Appleby. "Hopefully he stays that way until he goes, he...

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Big Evs Supplemented to Nunthorpe Challenge

Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), winner of the Windsor Castle S. and later the G3 Jaeger Lecoultre Molecomb S., has been supplemented to the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. at York on Friday with Andrea Atzeni set to ride. Jason Hart, who was onboard for those two victories, maintains his partnership with three-time Group 1 winner Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). Big Evs will be the only 2-year-old in contention. "It's [been] a long time since a two-year-old has won the Nunthorpe [Kingsgate Native, 2007]. So,...

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Mick Appleby Has Molecomb In Mind For Royal Ascot Winner Big Evs 

Mick Appleby is preparing Royal Ascot winner Big Evs (Ire) for a tilt at the G3 Molecomb S. at Goodwood after the Blue Point (Ire) colt confirmed his speed in running out a 20-1 winner of the  Windsor Castle S. A trip to the Knavesmire at York has also been pencilled in later in the season by Appleby, who revealed that he was not one bit surprised by the colt's performance at the royal meeting last week. He said, "I did quite fancy him because he worked well with Annaf...

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