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| Sumita Pawar |
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The Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup will be tackled by emerging sprinters Mischief Magic and Noble Style, who aim to revive their impressive 2YO form.
In 2022, Mischief Magic had a remarkable ascent in the racing world, winning three races consecutively, including a remarkable last-to-first triumph in the Gr.3 Sirenia Stakes. Following a fourth-place finish in the Gr.1 Middle Park Stakes, the colt by Exceed And Excel concluded his season with an outstanding victory in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland.
Charlie Appleby's Promising Three-year-olds
Appleby will be competing at Ascot's straight six furlongs for the second year in a row, having finished eighth in the Gr.3 Commonwealth Cup Trial in early May on his seasonal debut.
After winning his debut race at Ascot, Noble Style went on to triumph at Newmarket and deliver an impressive performance at York's Ebor festival, remaining unbeaten in his three juvenile starts.
Despite attempting a mile on soft ground in the Gr.1 Two Thousand Guineas, the Kingman colt showed promise and finished sixth, before securing third place in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury with a late surge.
Charlie Appleby, who trains both 3YOs said, “Mischief Magic has come forward a good amount from the trial for this, which was run on slower ground than ideal for him. Returning to a sounder surface will hopefully put him back in the mix.
“Noble Style is as well as we have had him this year, both physically and in his coat. He didn’t see the trip out in the Guineas but we were a little disappointed with him at Newbury. There has been a marked improvement since and we are applying cheekpieces to maintain his focus. If you pick out the best of his two-year-old form, you would hope that he can be a player.”
Charlie Appleby will field four Godolphin contenders, including Ghaiyyath's full-brother Al Nafir, in the
Appleby's Al Nafir Returns Strong
Appleby will also saddle Al Nafir in the 12-furlong Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap. The entire will make his first appearance since winning a Newmarket heritage handicap in October.
Meanwhile, Saeed bin Suroor will have three runners in the same race, including Global Heat, who won the Listed Al Khail Trophy this season.
White Wolf and Live Your Dream, who narrowly missed out on victories in their last races, will also compete under bin Suroor's guidance.
Charlie Appleby said, “We know that the trip and ground will be fine for Al Nafir, so he has plenty of positives. He is coming off a layoff but has been hitting every target that we have asked of him at home. We are very happy with where he is and, if he gets the rub of the green, he should be bang there.”