Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby has now won the Superlative Stakes on seven occasions after Al Hudaiba (5/2) got up on the line to defeat 8/13 favourite Abraham Lincoln by a short-head in this year’s running of the seven-furlong contest.

Appleby said: “As William (Buick, jockey) said, in the first half of the race we were happy where we were. He said at the three point, he thought this is how far I'm going to do it. Then all of a sudden, he starts just shifting underneath you.

“He said it's just a job to stay on, let alone to try and get him to gallop out. He said staying on is the hardest part.

“I wasn't confident when we were getting as close as that with the luck I've had over the recent few weeks. I was sort of confident once he got his head down and started to rally again that he would get there because he has got a lot of ability this horse.

“Billy's rode him a few times for us there before that last start. He put some shapes in. Yeah, he even unseated Tom (Marquand) quite a couple of starts back. Is that something he's going to grow out of? I hope so. Whether it's we just need to put something around his head there, make him concentrate a little bit harder. He's a typical one of those horses that finds life very easy, obviously, because he has that engine.

“But if he's going to start stepping up into bigger leagues, he's going to have to concentrate a bit harder.

“The National Stakes at the Curragh would be the most likely target now.”

Al Hudaiba is a homebred grey colt by Dark Angel out of the Dubawi mare, A'Shaari. The dam was a winner herself and is a sister to Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Wuheida.

Bunbury Cup

The form figures of Aalto (4/1 favourite) in the Betway Bunbury Cup now read 121 after he followed his 2024 success and 2025 second with victory in the 2026 staging of the £100,000 seven-furlong heritage handicap.

The now six-year-old was partnered by William Buick and got up inside the final furlong to win by half a length from Back In Black (5/1).

Winning trainer Ian Williams said: “We've tried not to over-race him, but he managed himself really well today.

“He had a lot of ground to make up for two down, but William said when he actually got stuck into him he actually picked up and really flew, which we could see. It's a huge result, a great result for him, a great result for the owners.

“I didn't think it was inevitable. I thought we had a lot of ground to make up, and you never know when they're just going to flatten out. And we were watching Supido (4th), who I thought had run his race two out, but he stayed on really well. So yeah, it was, I didn't think it was inevitable at any stage until he actually got past the post. It was a nice ride from William.

“He's not an easy horse to train, but he's an easier horse to train at this time of year than he is in the autumn in this room. We primarily train handicappers. So, if we're going to win a decent race, it's going to be a handicap. We don't have much in the Group level, so these big handicaps are really important to us.

“He's going to be another year older if we come back next year, isn't he? But we'll see. I mean, he obviously likes it here. And it's a valuable prize. So, you know, it's always in the back of our mind, but it will depend how he manages himself.”

Ballydoyle winner

In the opening Rossdales British EBF Maiden over seven furlongs, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Haffner (5/4 favourite) showed the benefit of his one previous start with a convincing success. The two-year-old son of Justify, who was partnered by Ryan Moore and is trained by Aidan O’Brien, made all for a length and a half victory over debutant Al Wathba.

Paul Smith, son of joint-owner Derrick Smith, said: “He was very smooth and Ryan was very happy with him. He enjoyed the step up to seven furlongs and the ground today.

“He looks likes he’s a stakes horse. We are very happy with him.

“The Champagne Stakes and all those sorts of races are open to him now. He enjoyed the seven furlongs today and will get further in time, so it’s all open to him.”