Perhaps the most telling sign of a trainer at the top of their game is a patient and well-placed campaign for a progressive horse and Appleby’s Hamada (Cape Cross), who secured his fifth consecutive victory when landing the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Gr 3, 1m5.5f) at Newbury on Saturday, fits that bill perfectly, justifying the time... Read More

Reference has frequently been made to Washbourn-owned horses in this column throughout the summer, with both Thundering Blue (Exchange Rate) and Chief Ironside (Lawman) exhibiting the qualities needed to succeed in the southern hemisphere on more than one occasion. While Washbourn does not have a reputation for selling his stock and this columnist is unsure... Read More

The five-day meeting also gave rise to a number of noteworthy developments looking ahead to the Australian spring, with the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) nominated as the long-term target by trainer Charlie Appleby for the fast-improving Cross Counter (Teofilo) following his success in the Gordon Stakes (Gr 3, 1m4f) on Saturday. Although this contest... Read More

The most striking staying performance of the week came courtesy of the Charlie Appleby-trained Hamada (Cape Cross), who won for the fourth successive time when romping away with the 1m6f handicap at Newmarket on Friday. Lightly raced for a four-year-old but campaigned with a deft touch by his trainer, Hamada has shown pleasing improvement in... Read More

The first two home pulled two and a half lengths clear of the four-year-old Cliffs Of Moher (Galileo) back in third to put the three-year-olds firmly on top in this first intergenerational clash over a mile and a quarter, with both colts paying a handsome compliment to Masar (New Approach), who was an eleventh-hour absentee... Read More