Newmarket Friday

HOT favourite Yibir didn’t read the script as he was turned over at odds of 1/4 in the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes by Living Legend (Charlie & Mark Johnston/Joe Fanning), who followed up his win in Newcastle’s Easter Classic.

The winner and Outbox had a lengthy battle for supremacy, with the odds-on favourite struggling to pick up from off the pace despite the urgings of William Buick.

It was a rare reverse for Charlie Appleby, but in fairness to the trainer, he did remind television viewers of the horse’s quirky nature, and that was in evidence here, with the Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up looking far from happy in the race, and this was his third defeat in four starts at Newmarket, with his one win coming on the July Course. He’s likely to prove a different proposition when racing further from home next time.

Rest of the card

Charlie Appleby has an embarrassment of riches in the three-year-old division, as well as with the older horses, and that is demonstrated by the fact that seven-length Newmarket Stakes winner Nations Pride (Will Buick) is not entered in the Derby, with trainer Charlie Appleby talking of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot instead.

The son of Teofilo won the Jumeirah Derby at Meydan in February, and clearly fitness was no concern as his rider committed with three furlongs left to run. Nations Pride - sent off second favourite at 7/4 - stretched impressively to win the listed contest by a wide margin, and while clearly well forward compared to one or two rivals, looks a decent prospect.

Appleby and Buick doubled up in the seven-furlong King Charles II Stakes, with the hard-pulling Noble Truth simply carting Buick throughout, and able to beat Honey Sweet easily by six lengths.

Buick was keen to race on his own in order to help settle the winner, and market rivals Gubbass and Ribhi were not helped by awkward starts, and neither was able to engage the well-backed 7/4 favourite.