'A 2,000 Guineas horse for sure' - no catching Coroebus in Autumn Stakes romp

Coroebus had the likes of Ghaiyyath and Persian King to follow in the Group 3 Emirates Autumn Stakes but more than held his own when posting the perfect prelude to the Dewhurst Stakes for Godolphin with a silky smooth display under William Buick.

Trainer Charlie Appleby landed the mile contest for the third time in five years as the 4-5 shot made amends for an unlucky defeat in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at the track a fortnight ago.

In contrast to that display, when the son of Dubawi had been sent to the front three furlongs out, Buick held on to his mount until after the Bushes and there was no catching him this time.

Paddy Power cut the winner to 5-1 (from 8) for next year's Qipco 2,000 Guineas after his two-length success over Imperial Fighter.

Appleby said: "It wasn't anybody's fault last time but we were still learning about him. He showed that acceleration again in his work at home and again today.

"We wanted to come back here and run him again on decent ground rather than wait until Doncaster or Newbury when the ground may have gone. We feel he's a 2,000 Guineas horse for sure and we'll probably come back for one of the trials in the spring."

Gold rush in Zetland

Goldspur earned quotes ranging from 16-1 to 33-1 for next year's Cazoo Derby after maintaining his unbeaten record in a three-way finish to the Group 3 Godolphin Flying Start Zetland Stakes.

The Appleby-trained colt had to be withdrawn when unruly at the start at Epsom last month for a race that earned the winner an automatic place in the Derby field.

He was on his best behaviour in the preliminaries on this occasion and answered every call from James Doyle to edge out Unconquerable and stablemate Hafit in a photo-finish to make it two wins from two starts.

"He's a nice homebred with a nice staying page," said Appleby. "It's all about next year and we'll start by looking at some of the trials in the spring but there's a long winter ahead of them all. He's definitely got the page [for the Derby]."

Asked about his mishap at Epsom, Appleby added: "It's something we haven't seen before. He got very worked up in the preliminaries and took that down to the gate and decided, just before the off, to put both front feet over the gate.

"He passed his stalls test with flying colours and we had the red hood on before the start today just to keep him calm and collected."

Bright future for classy Mostahdaf

Mostahdaf had been a possible for next Saturday's Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot but the decision to stick to calmer waters in the Group 3 Darley Stakes was rewarded with victory by a length and three-quarters.

The Shadwell Estate-owned three-year-old suffered his only defeat in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes and appears destined for a return to the top level next season.

Joint-trainer John Gosden said: "We've always thought him a mile-and-a-quarter horse. I was going to leave him in the Champion Stakes but I was overruled by the management and that's why he's here today.

"He's a classy horse and we've always thought he's one for next year."

Results, replays and analysis

Read more from Newmarket on Saturday . . .

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'Man among boys' – Native Trail storms home in Dewhurst to cement Guineas claims

Native Trail or Coroebus? Find out who impressed our experts at Newmarket

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