'King George win the most satisfying' - Charlie Appleby crowned champion trainer

Charlie Appleby, who has risen from the ranks of stable staff to the top of the training tree, enjoyed another notable achievement on Monday when he was officially recognised as Britain's champion Flat trainer for the first time at the 2021 Horserace Writers & Photographers Association Derby Awards in London.

The race to become champion trainer officially ends on December 31, but Appleby, who has amassed £4,888,314 in prize-money for owners Godolphin, leads by £570,507 from his nearest pursuer Andrew Balding.

With fellow trainers and title rivals Balding, John and Thady Gosden and William Haggas conceding the title, Appleby was presented with his prize at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, marking the end of a sublime year for the trainer, who savoured Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes glory with Adayar, whose stablemate Hurricane Lane captured the Irish Derby and St Leger.

In Dewhurst hero Native Trail he has the favourite for next year's Qipco 2,000 Guineas, while his Newmarket outfit stole the show at the Breeders' Cup in California recently, landing top-level prizes with Modern Games, Space Blues and Yibir.

"It's huge for me and for the team at Moulton Paddocks" he said.

"Most importantly, from the get-go back in 2013, we set our stall out on what we'd like to try to achieve and that was getting the success back into Godolphin and getting the big-race winners on the board, while also taking on stallions and broodmares to bolster the future.

"Going into the start of this season we were confident our three-year-olds had wintered well as two-year-olds, but, like everyone in the spring, you're trying to get a feeling of what you’re dealing with. We felt early doors that our middle-distance horses were coming to the fore and on the evidence of the trials we were very competitive. We went on to win the Derby, the Irish Derby, the King George and ended up with the St Leger on British soil, so we really did tick all the boxes.

"I'd have to say the King George win gave us the most satisfaction. We were very lucky to win the Derby again, but to repeat history in terms of Adayar going on to win the King George, which hadn't been done in 20 years, that was a very proud moment for the team. A lot of people here at Moulton Paddocks took a lot of pleasure from that."

A former point-to-point jockey, Appleby had a handful of rides on the Flat as an amateur before joining Sheikh Mohammed's renowned Godolphin operation, working as a travelling head lad, head lad and then assistant trainer.

He was handed the reins to Moulton Paddocks in 2013 when Mahmood Al Zarooni was given an eight-year ban for drug offences, and the 46-year-old quickly showed what a capable operator he was by winning that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with Outstrip – his first success at the highest level.

Adayar's King George triumph was sweet for Charlie ApplebyCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Appleby won his first Derby in 2018 with Masar and Australia's greatest race, the Melbourne Cup, found its way on to his CV a few months later courtesy of Cross Counter.

"We began growing steadily with winners and then the nicer horses started to come into the yard," he added.

"Thankfully, we've been able to make the most of it. The success has improved year on year after a breakthrough 12 months in 2018 with Masar winning the Derby and Cross Counter winning the Melbourne Cup."

Jockey William Buick, who has played a central role in Appleby's marvellous campaign, said: "It's a fantastic achievement for Charlie and very well deserved.

"I feel very privileged to be working so closely with him and the great team at Moulton Paddocks and Godolphin. Charlie's management of his horses and team has been a pleasure to witness, and his CV as a young trainer is outstanding."

Read more:

Yibir takes Turf glory to cap remarkable Breeders' Cup for Appleby and Buick

'These horses don't come around often' – Derby hero Adayar emulates Galileo

Buick, Appleby and Godolphin strike again in National Stakes with Native Trail

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