Secret Protector stars for Buick and Appleby as pair notch a treble

Both Britain and Ireland are in the grip of a spiteful cold snap this week, but the sun was shining on Godolphin duo Charlie Appleby and William Buick, who teamed up for a treble, and do not be surprised if Secret Protector – the middle leg of the hat-trick – turns out to be a hot prospect.

That was the view from Appleby after he watched Buick guide the $800,000 yearling to a smooth success in the 1m1½f conditions contest.

"He's going to be one of the horses, hopefully, to the forefront of our three-year-old squad," said the trainer, who was also on the mark in the 1m4f handicap with Star Safari and the classy Zakouski, who mastered his rivals in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya.

"He did nothing wrong as a two-year-old in two starts and will have gained a lot of confidence this evening. Physically he's improving week on week so we'll go back and look at the options, but you've got something like the Feilden Stakes."

Staged at Newmarket during the Craven meeting in April, the Feilden was won in 2015 by subsequent Derby and Arc hero Golden Horn, while Arc third Intello was another high-class recent winner.

"Secret Protector is a nice, progressive three-year-old who we are yet to see where we're going to finish up," Appleby said.

As for his purple patch, the trainer added: "It was a shortened carnival this year, but I'm pleased to see the fields supported and it's been good competitive racing. We've had a good night today, but we've had a few beaten which goes to show how competitive it is, so long may that continue."

Soldier could be aimed at 'big one'

The former Clive Cox-trained Salute The Soldier was cut to 12-1 (from 20-1) by Paddy Power for the Dubai World Cup after landing the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

Thunder Snow won both races three years ago, while African Story (2014) and Prince Bishop (2015) were second in the Group 2 before going one better in the Meydan spectacular.

Adrie de Vries: impressed with his winnerCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Now with trainer Fawzi Nass, Salute The Soldier was ridden by Dutch jockey Adrie de Vries, who said: "The race went to plan and I expected what happened, Capezzano to lead and I wanted to sit second.

"He hit the front soon enough, but always does enough. He was getting tired, but he was entitled to. This is a big point for us and maybe we can go for the big one with this horse.

"He needs to step up again, but I think he'll learn from today. He's a funny horse who isn't easy to train and is late maturing so there's still room for improvement."

Worth $12 million, the Dubai World Cup takes place at Meydan on March 27.

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