Godolphin claimed their first European Group One victory of the season as Charlie Appleby’s Charming Thought came to the rescue in the vision.ae Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket yesterday.
Big-name runners in the royal blue silks have been conspicuous by their absence, and it was hardly the most expected time for the drought to end, with Richard Hannon’s unbeaten Ivawood a hotly-tipped favourite.
For most of the six furlongs, the race looked as if it would be a fourth consecutive victory as he cruised along under Richard Hughes, but he failed to quell the final challenge of William Buick and Charming Thought, who stuck his nose in front on the line.
Appleby said: “It’s great to get my first Group One in England out of the way. He’s a horse we’ve held in high regard from the spring onwards. He just met with a setback in the spring, so we had to be patient and it’s prevailed now.”
