Coroebus to head straight to 2000 Guineas

Charlie Appleby has decided against running Coroebus in Saturday’s Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury and will instead send him straight to the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

An impressive winner of the Autumn Stakes over the Rowley Mile in the autumn, the Dubawi colt is one of two leading Guineas contenders for the trainer along with the unbeaten Native Trail.

With the latter heading for Wednesday’s bet365 Craven Stakes, Appleby had stated his intention to give Coroebus his trial run for the season’s first Classic at Newbury this weekend – but the Moulton Paddocks handler has had a change of heart.

“Coroebus worked very well on Saturday and we decided afterwards that there was not much to potentially gain by running him in a trial,” Appleby said on the Godolphin website.

“On the back of the work he showed us over the weekend, we are happy to head straight into the Guineas following a racecourse gallop.”

Appleby also confirmed his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games will bid for Classic honours in France without the aid of a prep run.

He added: “We’re very pleased with his preparation. We spoke about whether to send him to Newcastle for a trial there (Burradon Stakes on Friday), but we’ve decided we’ll head straight to France with him for the French Guineas.”

Appleby has entered both Native Trail and New Science for the Greenham, but with that pair bound for the Craven Stakes and Free Handicap respectively, he is unlikely to be represented.

The top two on ratings are the Ralph Beckett-trained Angel Bleu and Perfect Power from Richard Fahey’s yard.

Angel Bleu rounded off his juvenile campaign with successive Group One wins in France, while Perfect Power is also a dual winner at the highest level after landing the Prix Morny and the Middle Park.

Other contenders include Hugo Palmer’s Flaming Rib and Richard Hannon’s pair of Gubbass and Lusail.

Potential Classic fillies get their chance to shine in the preceding Dubai Duty Free Stakes, better known as the Fred Darling.

The standard is set by Appleby’s Wild Beauty, who won a Group One in Canada last season, while the new training team of Harry and Roger Charlton is set to be represented by Listed scorer Jumbly.

Archie Watson’s course winner Nazanin and Yarmouth novice victor Shaara, trained by John and Thady Gosden, also feature.

Nine older horses have been entered for the Group Three Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes – registered as the John Porter – including Mark Johnston’s Thunderous and the William Haggas-trained Ilaraab.