bet365 Classic Trial Stakes
Group 3, Sandown 15:35
£85,000 guaranteed,
3yo only,
1m 1f 209y, Class 1    
Friday 26th April 2024

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1 Arabian Crown 5/6F
2 Macduff 11/2
3 Remaadd 8/1
8 ran NR: Matsuri Distances: 3¼l, ½l, hd
Time: 2m 12.61s (slow by 5.61s)

Arabian Crown justified odds-on favoritism and secured his spot for the Derby by leading from start to finish at Sandown.

This smart two-year-old had previously won the Zetland Stakes by an impressive margin of over five lengths, and his strong credentials were evident, especially considering how Dubawi’s progeny tend to improve at three years old.

William Buick skillfully guided Arabian Crown to an early advantage, and he maintained that position throughout the race. In the final 100 yards, the 5-6 market leader demonstrated his prowess, leaving no room for doubt.

Despite the competition from Remaadd, Macduff, and Under The Sun in the closing stages, Buick’s confidence in his mount paid off. He accelerated, stretching three and a quarter lengths clear of Macduff and Remaadd, who matched their performance from the Haydock race last year.

Notably, Appleby had previously run Adayar in this same race. Adayar, who finished second to Alenquer in 2021, went on to win at Epsom. Additionally, Westover, the winner two years ago, continued his success by claiming victory in the Irish Derby.

Appleby’s assistant Alex Merriam said: “Will gave him a nice ride on the front end and I thought he did it quite impressively in the end, he’s galloped all the way through the line.

“His racecourse gallop helped him and Charlie has been really pleased with him the last two weeks, he’s really started to come to himself and it (the gallop) didn’t do him any harm anyway.

“He has got to be in the Derby mix now and obviously there are a few other irons in the fire, but I suppose he has to be the main one at the minute.

“I was just talking to Will and it’s going to be tight to get another run into him, he’s had a hard-enough race there on soft enough ground.

“We’ll see how he comes out of the race and if he goes anywhere, it will probably be Chester – the Dante is a bit close to Epsom. I think experience-wise, as you can see there, he’s quite professional already.

“We’ve not had a Dubawi win the Derby yet, but fingers crossed we will get there eventually.”

FormRatings

Buick said: “He is very straightforward and he showed that last year. He just kept on improving last year, so let’s hope he can keep doing the same.

“Certainly, as a trial goes, I was very happy with that and there is plenty of improvement left in him I felt, and it is quite testing out there. It’s early on in the season and naturally he is going to progress.

“Charlie was very keen to go forward today but we were also very happy to sit off the pace if there was a strong pace. As it turns out, he has a big stride and he likes to use it and he changed gear two and a half out and attacked the hill, so it was a very nice performance.

“I would be as confident as you can be with a three-year-old at this time of year that he would stay a mile and a half. Charlie and the team will decide if he needs more experience, but he’s a very straightforward horse and he does not lack for experience.

“Yes, he does like to use his stride, but he also has a nice cruising speed and he travels well, which is exactly what you need in a Derby, if he gets that far.”

Ralph Beckett said of Macduff in second: “It was a great effort, I was really pleased with the effort.

“He’s a very straightforward horse and Rossa (Ryan, jockey) felt he had enough in the tank to tackle the winner, but the ground just counted against him. He does have a sort of fast-ground pedigree, so that ties in.

“We’ll see how he trains in the next few weeks and Barry (Mahon, of owners Juddmonte) is not keen to rule out Epsom and neither am I. We’ll see how he trains in the coming weeks and how the trials go and then see how we feel about it (the Derby).”

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Classic Trial Stakes
£85,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 1f 209y, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Good in places

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (9)     Arabian Crown 3 9-3 Charlie Appleby William Buick 5/6F
2 (2) 3¼ Macduff 3 9-3 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 11/2
3 (1) ½ Remaadd 3 9-3 William Haggas Tom Marquand 8/1
4 (5) hd Portland 3 9-3 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 9/1
5 (4) ¾ Under The Sun 3 9-3 Hugo Palmer Oisin Murphy 20/1
6 (8) 3¼ War Rooms 3 9-3 Owen Burrows Jim Crowley 11/2
7 (7) 8½ Dunstan 3 9-3 Barry Brennan David Probert 125/1
8 (3) 3 Prince Rasam 3 9-3 Michael Bell Callum Shepherd 40/1
NR 4 (6) Matsuri 3 9-3 Roger VarianNON RUNNER

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