Trainer Charlie Appleby © Photo Healy Racing
Ancient Truth enhanced his growing reputation by providing trainer Charlie Appleby with a fifth victory in the bet365 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.
Since breaking his duck with Boynton in 2016, the Moulton Paddocks handler has saddled a trio of subsequent Group One winners to land this Group Two prize in Quorto (2018), Master Of The Seas (2020) and Native Trail (2021).
A son of Dubawi, who also won the Superlative in 2004, Ancient Truth had looked a smart prospect in winning his first two starts on the two different Newmarket tracks and was a 4-6 favourite to complete his hat-trick in the hands of William Buick.
After initially being settled in fifth of the six runners, the youngster made his move racing inside the final couple of furlongs and was soon in front without being asked for maximum effort.
Buick resorted to his whip to make sure of victory late on, with Seagulls Eleven running a fine race to emerge best of the rest, but Ancient Truth was well on top as he passed the post with a length and a half in hand.
Appleby and Buick were completing a treble on the card following the triumphs of Desert Flower and First Conquest earlier in the afternoon.
Coral cut Ancient Truth’s odds for next year’s 2000 Guineas to 16-1 from 25-1.
“I’m delighted, he’s still learning and learning plenty. I couldn’t see any pace in the race, so I did say to William we might have to make our own running and see where we are,” said Appleby.
“But William made the right decision in trying to get some cover. There was a bit of pace but when the pace collapsed, he almost had to take him back to come round, so full credit to the horse.
“There’s improvement still to come, he appreciated the ground and he’s going the right way.
“Shane Fetherstonhaugh rides him and he’s ridden enough good horses of ours for me to trust him. Coming into the first run, he said he wasn’t quite happy but he ran and won. Going into the second, he still wasn’t quite happy and he went and won, but this morning he said he was delighted, so I said I was a bit nervous!
“He’s a horse I feel a mile will be his maximum and we will definitely work back from the Guineas.”
He went on: “I’ve just spoken to William, we’ll let the horse settle down and make a decision as a collective, but our previous winners of this have tended to go on to the National Stakes in Ireland and that has worked quite well.
“One thing I did feel, he’s happier with a bit of cut in the ground, he hung a little bit on quick ground on his first two starts. He looked happier today.
“He’s up there in our pecking order. If I was to say he’d come to life the last six weeks, I’d be telling fibs, he’s always been up there and I’d have been disappointed if the horse had got beaten today.”
