Charlie Appleby hopes that his patience with Hawkbill could pay off when the Godolphin colt takes his chance in the Group 1 International Stakes at York in two weeks.
Hawkbill racked up his sixth consecutive victory when he denied Aidan O’Brien’s The Gurkha in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown last month.
Appleby thought long and hard about pitching Hawkbill in to the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot – won by Highland Reel a fortnight ago – but a combination of a test too soon and a step up to 2,400 metres resulted in restraint.
The Gurkha went on to be an impressive winner of the Sussex Stakes over 1,600 metres last week at Goodwood, and afterwards O’Brien suggested a rematch with Hawkbill on the Knavesmire could well be on the cards.
Godolphin have not won the International run over 2,000 metres since Saeed bin Suroor sent out Sulamani in 2004, and Appleby is looking forward to having his first runner in the race, and Godolphin’s first since Bin Suroor’s Farhh chased home Frankel in 2012.
“He had a little bit of a break after Sandown and is on target to run next in the Juddmonte International (on August 17),” Appleby said. “Hawkbill had a battle on his hands up the Sandown straight but he’s come out of it well and is getting mentally stronger with each run. It was pleasing to see The Gurkha subsequently go and do the job (in the Qatar Sussex Stakes) at Goodwood. We didn’t totally discard the King George, but with the future in mind and going beyond the Juddmonte, we wanted to give him a little bit more time. He’s our flag-bearer this year.”
Farhh ended up running in the Champion Stakes at Ascot the following year and Hawkbill could be one of eight Godolphin horses to take part in the British season-ending £1.3million contest in October.
Jack Hobbs and Racing History were third and fourth respectively for John Gosden and Bin Suroor last season and they have been entered alongside winner Fascinating Rock and runner-up Found. Other horses who could carry the Royal Blue silks in he Group 1 race include Scottish, Moonlight Magic, Maverick Wave, Sky Hunter and Andre Fabre’s Ultra, who made a pleasing comeback from injury in a Group 2 race last month.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Awtaad, who will be given a break with a view to possibly dropping him down in grade after his lacklustre effort in the Sussex Stakes, has also been entered. The Minister Of Finance also has Intilaaq, Mutakayyef and French raider Taareef pencilled in.
Mutakayyef beat Dutch Connection, the subsequent easy Lennox Stakes winner at Goodwood last week, in the Group 2 Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile Stakes over 1,600 metres at Ascot last month and is in line to meet Hawkbill and The Gurkha at York.
“He’s in great form and likely to go for the Juddmonte next,” William Haggas, the trainer of Mutakayyef, said. “I’m not sure it is going to suit him but he gets the trip alright and there isn’t a lot else for him – he can’t run in the Jacques le Marois or the Prix du Moulin because he’s been gelded.”
Overall there were a record 256 entries for British Champions Day, which will be staged on October 15.
Within that entry are the winners of 79 Group 1 races, including 14 European Classics.
The card features four Group 1 races and there is £4.2million in prize-money.
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