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| Sumita Pawar |
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Godolphin's Rebel's Romance, the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic winner, is set to lead a strong satellite team for Charlie Appleby, who plans to establish a 10-12 horse base in Saratoga for most of the year.
The group will target some of the major races in America leading up to the Breeders' Cup meeting at Del Mar in November. Appleby has had several successes in America outside of the Breeders' Cup meeting and believes it makes sense to stable horses there. He plans to have three runners on Kentucky Derby day, and then the entire team will move to Saratoga.
Heading the talented group is Rebel's Romance and Master Of The Seas, who recently secured his third Grade One success by winning the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland. It would be nice to have both past Breeders' Cup winners, Master Of The Seas and Rebel's Romance, turn up again. Master Of The Seas will go to a race called the Fourstardave, which is a Group One handicap in Saratoga. Rebel's Romance, on the other hand, might go to Hong Kong next month, but if not, he will head to the Sword Dancer at Saratoga before moving to the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Appleby believes he has a stronger team at his disposal this year than last year, where he faced a frustrating campaign domestically. He is optimistic about the upcoming turf season.
Appleby said, "Realistically, we are coming into this season with a better momentum to start off with. We have gone through the Dubai season, and we managed to have a winner on Dubai World Cup night, which we hadn't done for a couple of years. We have also campaigned a bit more on the all-weather than we had done the previous winter.
"There is more momentum in the yard first, and foremost, but secondly we are starting off with some proven 2YOs. Last year, Silver Knott was our talking horse and that said it all really.
"It is not frustrating. You just have to keep confidence in yourself, and the team, and don't change the formula as we know it works.
"You just have to wait for the right horses to come through. Football managers know how to manage a team, but until those players come through that can actually do what the manager asks them to do then it doesn't work.
"This year we feel we have a better division of 2YOs. We have sharper 2YOs, but more importantly we have some nice 3YOs. The older horse section is a division I have got to build up now."