Dubai: Long-serving Godolphin associate Charlie Appleby has been handed the chance of a lifetime after being given the reins of the stable’s Moulton Paddocks yard in Newmarket, England, on Tuesday.
On a day when the stable were scheduled to send out their first runners of the season at Lingfield, following the Mahmoud Al Zarouni doping episode, Appleby was selected to form a potentially powerful pairing with veteran Godolphin handler Saeed Bin Surour, who oversees the training of horses at Godolphin Stables also in Newmarket.
The appointment has the capacity to launch the relatively unknown Appelby to the world stage in much the manner that it did a young Roger Varian, who succeeded the legendary Arc de Triomphe-winning trainer Michael Jarvis in 2011.
However, Appleby will first have to complete a week-long racehorse management course at the British Racing School, prior to applying for a full training licence. The training course includes three modules related to racehorse management, business skills and staff management.
His appointment was approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who founded Godolphin Stables in 1992.
The stables racing manager, Simon Crisford, told the Daily Telegraph: “It’s impossible for Saeed to train so many, so Shaikh Mohammad would like Charlie Appleby to step in while he considers what arrangements he makes long-term.”
Appleby has worked for Godolphin since 1999, first with David Loder, who looked after their two-year-old string, and then as senior head groom for Bin Surour. More recently he was assistant to Al Zarouni.
Given the fact that he has adequate experience with Godolphin, Appleby may appear to be the perfect choice to share training responsibilities with Bin Surour, who was briefly tending to over 400 horses based at the stable’s twin bases at Newmarket.
Bin Surour was on Tuesday scheduled to saddle unraced three-year-olds Air Of Glory (Mickael Barzalona) and Hunting Ground (Kieren Fallon) in a Maiden at Lingfield.
Once he successfully completes the training course, which is set by the Licensing Committee of the British Horseracing Authority, Appleby will assume charge of many top-class horses. He is fully aware of what drives Godolphin and the stable’s inexhaustible search and hunger for success.
The simple fact is, if Appleby can get the results Godolphin want, then it seems likely that he can claim the role permanently.
But the issue of early success is bigger than that.
