Charlie Appleby reaches century of G1 wins

Al Hudaiba’s success in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine, Canada, on Saturday, 12 September brought up a landmark 100th G1 victory for Charlie Appleby. 

Since being granted a licence in July, 2013, the Moulton Paddocks trainer has enjoyed outstanding success throughout the world, with top-level wins in nine countries including Classic success in the UK, Ireland and France. 

Outstrip provided Appleby with a first G1 victory in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and the trainer has since compiled a phenomenal record at North America’s flagship meeting, winning four of the last five renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Mile with Space Blues, Modern Games, Master Of The Seas and Notable Speech. 

Rebel’s Romance captured two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, with Yibir also scoring in the same race. A total of 12 Breeders’ Cup wins, achieved from only 32 runners, means Appleby is the eighth most-successful trainer of all time at the meeting, with four of his winners being crowned American Champion Male Turf Horse. 

Masar was a landmark winner of the Derby in 2018, becoming the first royal blue runner to win the Epsom Downs showpiece and yielding a first UK Classic for his trainer. Cross Counter rounded off a sensational year, registering a first victory for a British-trained runner in Australia’s most famous race, the Melbourne Cup. 

Adayar provided a second Derby winner in 2021 before going on to be the first horse in 20 years to follow up with victory in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, helping Appleby to the first of two consecutive British Champion Trainer titles. 

Hurricane Lane was third behind Adayar at Epsom Downs before going on to create history of his own, reeling off a hat-trick in the Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris and St Leger. 

Another banner year in 2022 saw Appleby register an unprecedented Classic treble in Europe as he won the English, Irish and French 2,000 Guineas with three different colts – Coroebus, Native Trail and Modern Games. 

Notable Speech also annexed the Newmarket Classic in 2024, becoming the first horse since 1938 to win the Classic without having raced as a juvenile, while Ruling Court and Desert Flower completed a memorable 2,000 Guineas-1,000 Guineas double in 2025. 

Other standout performers in Europe have included Ghaiyyath, who was crowned the world’s best racehorse in 2020 following superb displays in the Coronation Cup, Eclipse Stakes and Juddmonte International. 

Brilliant sprinter Blue Point made Royal Ascot his own with three victories at the meeting, becoming only the third horse in history to complete the King Charles III Stakes-Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes double in the same week in 2019. 

The same year saw Pinatubo received the highest rating achieved by a juvenile in Europe in 25 years following a perfect campaign that included dominant wins in the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes and Darley Dewhurst Stakes. 

In addition to a quintet of Jebel Hatta victories, Appleby has enjoyed five G1 wins on Dubai World Cup Night, with three Dubai Sheema Classic winners headed by Rebel’s Romance in 2024, and Blue Point featuring among a pair of Al Quoz Sprint successes. 

Rebel’s Romance added another piece of history as the first overseas-trained winner of the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup in 2024, with Godolphin’s most decorated horse of all time going on to secure a remarkable ninth G1 success in the 2025 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. 

The trainer did not have to wait long for a 101st G1 win as Notable Speech recorded back-to-back wins in the Woodbine Mile, just over an hour after Al Hudaiba’s success in the Summer Stakes. 

Charlie Appleby said: “I am delighted for the whole team at Moulton Paddocks and extremely thankful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for giving us the opportunities to work in the sport. His continued support of us, and the industry as a whole, is inspirational, and providing these winners is a small gesture of appreciation from us. 

“We have been getting closer to 100 G1 wins for a while and I am particularly pleased to bring up the landmark figure with a homebred colt from a long-standing Darley family. I am sure the instructions from His Highness will be to kick on to the next 100. 

“It is a huge team effort, with everyone involved in the racing and breeding side of the operation working together to provide the results on the big days. My thanks go to each and every person in Team Godolphin.”