Globetrotting Yibir on course for Newbury comeback

Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir is on course to return to action in the Al Rayyan Stakes at Newbury on May 20.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Yibir enjoyed a fruitful campaign in 2021, culminating with successes in the Great Voltigeur, the Jockey Club Invitational at Belmont and the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.

He showed smart form again at four, finishing third in the Man o’War before winning the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket, but he has been off the track since that win in July.

Yibir helped put stablemate Flying Honours through his paces in a gallop at Newmarket on Friday.

Appleby said: “I’m delighted with Yibir as he has been off the track since winning the Princess of Wales’s Stakes on the July course last year.

“The plan with him is to head to the Aston Park Stakes (Al Rayyan) at Newbury. He had a setback after Newmarket and has been off since.

“Admittedly Yibir was in the Jockey Club Stakes (on Friday) but I felt he was maybe a gallop or two short to go for that, so that is why I decided to take him for a gallop instead.”

Appleby also has a Hong Kong entry for Yibir, as he is one of four for the Newmarket handler together with Global Storm, Rebel’s Romance – who emulated Yibir in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf – and Siskany in the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, the final Group One of the Hong Kong season on May 28 at Sha Tin.