Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby won 2,000 Guineas for the fourth time in 2022 when Coroebus stormed to victory ahead of a talented field.
It has been nine years since the group’s last triumph in the first British Classic of the flat racing season when Dawn Approach claimed an impressive win at Newmarket for Jim Bolger.
Coroebus’ victory was a welcome return to the winners’ circle for the Godolphin Group and a first for trainer Appleby in the event, completing his sweep of the British Classics following his two wins at The Derby and St Leger triumph in 2018.
Appleby will now bid to join an elite company of trainers to win the race in successive seasons. Sir Michael Stoute, Aidan O’Brien and Vincent O’Brien are among the trainers that have produced back-to-back wins in the 2,000 Guineas.
Appleby has a great chance to join him with his outstanding charge Noble Style, who is backed at 6/1 in the odds on racing bets online to win the event. He will face a challenge from Aidan O’Brien, who has two excellent horses in the form of Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear primed and ready to compete in the first Classic of the season.
Little Big Bear was named the Champion Juvenile of 2022 and appears to be O’Brien’s best shot at returning to the winners’ circle after a three-year absence at the 2,000 Guineas. But, Noble Style has his own impressive pedigree after winning all three of his races in the 2022 campaign and will look to make a statement at the Guineas.
Proven Contender
Appleby’s charge made his bow at Ascot in the Jemima Howden Novice Stakes. He was the leading contender for the win, but needed a guiding hand from James Doyle in the saddle to find his top speed on the course. Once he found his top gear, he was able to pull away from the field to close out the victory by one-and-three-quarter lengths.
Noble Style returned to action two months later at Newmarket in the EBF Novice Stakes. He was odds-on to claim his second win on the bounce with David Probert at the reins in place of Doyle. Noble Style was once again on point down the stretch after making steady progress around the track. He had the speed when it mattered the most to close out his victory by half-a-length ahead of Mill Stream.
The Godolphin horse made his final appearance of the campaign in the Gimcrack Stakes at York. Marshman was the leading contender in the minds of the bookies, but Noble Style proved his doubters wrong with an excellent performance to sign off for the term. William Buick took to the saddle and timed the surge away from the field to perfection, blowing away Marshman down the stretch to complete a comfortable victory.
Although Noble Style did not have the emphatic victories of his rivals Auguste Rodin and Little Big Bear in their debut seasons, the experience of tight races and an outing at Newmarket will stand him in great stead for the Guineas and might give him a vital edge to allow Appleby and Godolphin to secure a second win in a row.
