Tag Archive for: Military Order

Appleby thrilled to see Military Order advertise Classic credentials

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Charlie Appleby has already used the Fitzdares Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes to prepare one Betfred Derby winner – and he was left “delighted” by the performance of Military Order, who will now head to Epsom primed to perfection attempting to give the Moulton Paddocks handler his third victory in the Classic.

The Frankel colt had won two of his first three outings, but this was his first real test as he tried to justify the lofty reputation that being a full-brother to a Derby and King George winner brings.

Military Order’s elder sibling Adayar finished second in the Lingfield feature in 2021 before triumphing at Epsom, and Military Order proved he is indeed made of similar stuff, showing his quality under a fine ride from William Buick to hold off Ed Walker’s Waipiro.

The Listed triumph now puts him firmly in the Derby picture, and Appleby believes the experience at Lingfield will serve him well ahead of his big-race assignment on the Surrey Downs in three weeks time.

He said: “I was delighted with that, he learnt plenty today and it was a great ride by William.

“We were going in there today with confidence based on what he had achieved to date.

“It was a mile and a half with the race being on the all-weather track, so we saw him see it out well.

“He has a pedigree and a profile there that is coming along very nicely into hopefully a Derby horse. I know he has now gone joint-favourite (for the Derby) and deservedly so. We will obviously now be keeping an eye on what happens next week in the Dante, but I was very pleased with him.

“I’m just delighted to see Military Order confirm he is the horse we feel he hopefully is going forward.”

Waterlogging to Lingfield’s turf track meant the trials day card was run on the all-weather for the first time since 2012 – with Appleby enjoying a fine afternoon on the synthetics as Eternal Hope gave him a first success in the Fitzdares Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes.

The daughter of Teofilo does not hold an entry for Epsom on June 2 and may not be seen until the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, but equally the Moulton Paddocks handler has not ruled out adding her to the Oaks line-up and will be keeping a close eye on how the fillies’ Classic is shaping up, particularly in terms of the ground.

Eternal Hope ridden by jockey William Buick winning the Fitzdares Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes
Eternal Hope ridden by jockey William Buick winning the Fitzdares Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes (Steven Paston/PA)

“The filly had experience on the synthetics and travelled round there well and picked up well and saw it out well as well, so I was really pleased with that,” continued Appleby.

“What sort of strength of depth was in there, we will have to wait and see.

“But in terms of supplementing her for an Oaks, we didn’t run her in the Pretty Polly at Newmarket because of the ground so that would have to be something we keep an eye on and therefore the likelihood is we will look more towards the Ribblesdale with her.

“I’m not saying we won’t (supplement) and we will be keeping an eye on the Oaks picture.”

Military Order marches to Epsom with stylish Lingfield win

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Military Order shot to the top of the Betfred Derby market as he went one better than his brother Adayar to claim the Fitzdares Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes.

Adayar finished second in this in 2021 before going on to triumph at Epsom and his high-class sibling took his record to three wins from four starts in the manner of a high-class operator himself.

With waterlogging to Lingfield’s turf track meaning this was run on the all-weather for the first time since Main Sequence’s victory in 2012, William Buick had Military Order travelling nicely behind the pace set by James Tate’s Regal Empire

The pack began to bunch as the eight-strong field approached the home bend and when Regal Empire angled out spinning the turn, Buick seized the opportunity to nimbly slip up the inner and set sail for home with Ed Walker’s Waipiro the only one to match strides with the athletic son of Frankel.

The duo went toe-to-toe up the home straight, but it was the even-money favourite who came out on top by a length and a quarter at the winning post, with a further four and a quarter lengths back to the King’s Circle Of Fire in third.

Although the race has provided Charlie Appleby with a Derby winner in the past, it is the first time he has won the Listed event and Military Order now heads to Epsom as Betfair’s 4-1 joint-favourite alongside Auguste Rodin, while Coral make the colt their outright 7-2 market leader.

“He did everything I asked him. He’s come through that really well and will have learned plenty, not that he needed to be shown,” said Buick.

“Today was a different test to Newbury, but when I asked him to quicken into a gap running downhill he didn’t hesitate. He was totally relaxed and beautifully balanced.”

Military Order looks smart
Military Order looks smart (PA)

Alex Merriam, Appleby’s assistant, said: “It was pretty straightforward. It took him a while to get rolling, but he saw it out strongly.

“All systems are go for Epsom, he’s had a run on grass and now a run down a bit of a hill.

“Last year we were blessed with some good milers but this year we have some nice mile-and-a-quarter and mile-and-a-half types.

“Military Order is a similar size to Adayar, but a sharper model.”

He added: “Castle Way is a good prospect, but I think he will go to Ascot (King Edward VII Stakes).

“Flying Honours is going to York and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in the Dante if we get some decent ground there.”

Walker, meanwhile, will press on with his Derby plan for Waipiro after his gallant effort.

“The winner got a run up the inside and the horse that made the gap pushed us out and onto the wrong lead, making us disorganised, but we still gave him a run for his money,” he said.

“Rob (Hornby) couldn’t pull him up and I think we have to go to Epsom.”

Flying Honours set for Dante after pleasing racecourse workout

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Charlie Appleby’s Betfred Derby contender Flying Honours tuned up for the Dante with a gallop before racing at Newmarket on Friday – but stablemate Imperial Emperor is not being pointed towards Epsom

Flying Honours will take in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai-sponsored York feature on May 18, a race Appleby won two years ago with Hurricane Lane, who went on to win the Irish Derby and St Leger.

The Sea The Stars colt worked with Yibir and Natural World, and Appleby liked what he saw.

“I’m delighted with that piece of work. At the end of the day, he has worked with no mug there in Yibir,” he said.

“We were intending to go to Sandown (Classic Trial) last week with Flying Honours, but that got rained off, and the plan now is that if he comes out of this piece of work well to head to York for the Dante.

“He has got a lovely profile stepping up to this middle-distance category this year. The Dante is the race that if you go and win afterwards you will probably be second-favourite for the Derby. At the end of the day it is one of the best trials.

William Buick with Military Order
William Buick with Military Order (PA)

“This horse will get a mile and a half no problem at all. He is a neat horse and has got enough racing experience under him now to head to a track like Epsom.

“Until you have been around there you can never hand on heart say you handle it, but I believe he has got enough race experience to go there and handle it fine.”

Stablemate Military Order, impressive at Newbury recently, will follow the same route as his brother Adayar by going for the Lingfield Derby Trial on May 13.

“I was very pleased with what I saw from Military Order at Newbury. People will say it was a slow time, but they weren’t going to be setting records in those conditions.

“I just loved his demeanour and the way that he galloped out. He has come out of it very well and is bred to win a Derby.”

Imperial Emperor was impressive on his only outing to date
Imperial Emperor was impressive on his only outing to date (Tim Goode/PA)

Appleby confirmed he intends to send Imperial Emperor to Royal Ascot and possibly the Irish Derby, rather than Epsom.

“I’ve just taken my time with Imperial Emperor. He is very closely related to Ghaiyyath and in his three-year-old career he met with a setback,” he said.

“It is always on my mind that he is a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half Dubawi and you just can’t push them. People will say that I did it with Coroebus, but that was different as he was a miler.

“Wholeheartedly, I would probably say I won’t be getting there with him. I would rather bring him along and we might end up going to Royal Ascot or the Irish Derby with him.

“He is a horse that I have high regard for, but one that we will look after along the way.”

Derby trial next, as Military Order marches to impressive success

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Military Order – a full-brother to Derby and King George winner Adayar – entered the Epsom picture after making all the running to win the Darley Novice Stakes at Newbury.

Given the exploits of his elder sibling, Military Order was always going to have plenty to live up to – but just three runs into his career he is going the right way.

William Buick was allowed to set a steady pace in front on Charlie Appleby’s three-year-old, and he did not look too dissimilar to his brother when in full flight.

What was impressive, though, was the way the Frankel colt stretched clear of some potentially useful rivals with two furlongs to run.

Simon and Ed Crisford’s Chesspiece, winner of his only start, and Exoplanet, trained by Roger Varian, attempted to give chase but it was soon apparent they were doing so in vain.

Without being put under undue pressure by William Buick, Military Order, the even-money favourite, beat Exoplanet by four lengths.

Paddy Power and Betfair cut the winner to 10-1 from 16-1 for the Betfred Derby.

Appleby said: “That was a very pleasing performance, as we know he’s got the pedigree to go and do something like that.

“Adayar won on soft ground as a two-year-old so while we felt he’d handle it I don’t think we’re going to see any horse at its best on it. But he handled it, and he handled it better than all of them.

“He stays well and we’ll look towards one of the trials now. Whether we go down the same route as his brother and maybe look towards Lingfield as that is a track which can teach them plenty, I don’t know.

“You’ve got all the rest of them like Chester and the Dante, but with a horse like him we might just go down the same route as his brother and we’ll have some nice conversations going forward.”