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| Staff Writer |
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Mick Appleby, the renowned British trainer, has once again brought glory to his name with a remarkable win in the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. Riding Annaf, a 5YO offspring of Muhaarar, jockey Rossa Ryan kept him at the back of the field and on the rail.
Gradually making his way up, Annaf found an opening and clinched the title with a time of 1:17.88, winning by three-quarters of a length. This victory comes just a few months after Appleby's breakthrough with Big Evs in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
La La Christine, the Japanese mare, finished second on her swansong, while Byline, another son of Muhaarar, came in third with Gerald Mosse in the saddle. Unfortunately, the defending champion from Japan, Bathrat Leon, finished a disappointing 10th due to a missed jump and running into early trouble.
Rossa Ryan, jockey, Annaf said, "With Annaf I have always tended to ride for luck. It seems to work for him. He lets hard-hitters do the work for him and picks up the pieces.
"The trip today was a huge concern but he got six furlongs on grass at Ascot on heavy ground, we went a right good gallop and I was where I wanted to be following Jumby and lucky the gaps came.
"The owner and trainer don’t put any pressure on me and I know he has pace to get me out of trouble. I didn’t have a lot of room but he stuck his head out for me. It’s brilliant because I picked this lad up as a spare one day in Lingfield, I had to drop him out and bide my time and the relationship formed from there.
"There were quite a few British raiders so we knew what would happen and I’ve ridden against French horses so the only grey area was the Japanese horses but Ryan [Moore] and Oisin [Murphy] knew them and they said they’d be players without being huge threats. The draw was a big concern and so was the trip, but we are here now, thank god."
Mick Appleby, trainer of Annaf, "I think as long as he gets a good pace to aim at, he likes coming from behind and if the pace collapses he’s at his best.
"It makes it all worth it. It’s great going abroad winning these races and it puts us on the international map. Huge credit to the team in the yard who work hard all year.
"Rossa gave him a great ride. All down to Rossa, not my training. He keeps improving and keeps surprising us. God knows where we go next. He has got an invite to Japan, so possibly we’ll go there next. We always thought he was good horse who’d get better with age and he might not be finished yet. The sky is the limit."