GB: World #1 trainer Charlie Appleby believes Military Order is a worthy favourite for next month’s Betfred Derby after insisting that he is “marginally in front” of his full-brother Adayar, the 2021 winner, at the same stage of his career.
The Godolphin handler will rely on the son of Frankel to give him a third victory in five years in the Epsom Classic after removing his other possibles at last Friday’s entry stage for the June 3 contest.
Unbeaten since coming fourth on his debut in October, Military Order is current 5-2 Derby favourite with the sponsors. After breaking his maiden tag at Newmarket at the second attempt, he created a big impression on his annual return in a conditions event at Newbury before strengthening his Classic credentials earlier this month in the Lingfield Derby Trial.
“He has come out of that race well and it is all systems go hopefully into a Derby now,” said Appleby. “His preparations have been faultless to date and he ticks a lot of boxes, as they say.”
Appleby also won the Derby in 2018 with Masar. “At the end of the day you have to say his profile is most similar to Adayar given they are brothers,” explained the trainer.
“Although Adayar wasn’t a black type winner going into the Derby, he had been placed in the Classic Trial at Sandown Park and the Lingfield Derby Trial.
“It was a completely different ball game with Masar, who was a Group winner at two and three even before he went into the Derby so I couldn’t put them in the same sort of profile.
“As respects to Military Order and his brother I would say he is marginally in front of him and he is a worthy favourite on what we have seen to date.”
Although Military Order was denied the chance to test his capabilities on the undulating turf track at Lingfield after the race was switched to the all-weather, Appleby believes there were plenty of positives to be taken away from the performance.
“Everyone is allowed an opinion at the end of the day and some people will say it was only an all-weather win at Lingfield,” he said.
“What I loved about it, and the most important part that I took out of the race, was when William (Buick) made that manoeuvre for a mile and a half horse, and a horse of his stature, he did it very effortlessly.
“A lot of horses can get tangled around Lingfield whether it be on the turf or the all-weather coming down that hill into that turn. They can sometimes need time to find their legs and he did it very quickly and smoothly.”
After watching Thursday’s Dante Stakes at York, Newmarket-based Appleby says the Derby still has an open feel – but remains confident Military Order can stamp his authority on the race.
“The Dante was the last key trial to the Derby picture,” he said. “I’ve always felt going into the Dante if you had a horse go and win by two or three lengths he would’ve been a Derby favourite.
“If you run well or just win in it, you justify being in the Derby and being in the first half- dozen in the betting and that is what it has proven. It was, as always, a competitive race – but there wasn’t a winner of that stature therefore it has left the Derby very open.
“I do genuinely feel he has still got that potential to find more improvement over the mile and a half and he is going in there as one of the least exposed horses at the top of the market.”
As for fielding only a sole candidate in the premier Classic, Appleby said: “You can never have enough horses in the Derby as Aidan (O’Brien) has proved down the years.
“We have been lucky enough to have a couple of runners in the Derby when Masar won and we had three runners in the race when Adayar won,” he went on.
“It is one of those unique races that you have to go there with the right horse. If you haven’t got the right horse it is pointless really turning up.
“It is a fantastic race but one you have to be good enough to turn up in – as if you aren’t, you can become lost in it all very quickly.”
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