Appier

Appier was similar in many ways to Faylaq in the Northumberland Vase at Newcastle on Saturday, in that his stamina was unproven, and he was held up out the back early on in a race in which the pace held up well. The finishing speed percentage of the winner was 103.7%, as opposed to 101.63% for the winner of the Plate run over the same course and distance 35 minutes later, and the winning time for the Vase was almost four seconds slower. So Faylaq, Legendary Day and Appier all did well to finish third, fourth and fifth respectively, given that they occupied the last three positions until they raced inside the three-furlong marker.

Appier was different to Faylaq, however, in that he picked up well on the near side when rider Ben Curtis asked him to, and he moved into second place behind the ultimate winner La Hacienda as they raced to the furlong marker. He looked a likely winner at that point, but his stamina just ebbed, and he faded to finish fifth. It was still a fine run by Sean Woods’ horse. He is another who went into the race in good form, he had been impressive in winning over a mile and a half at Lingfield on his previous run. He will be of interest again now back over that trip, or even over a mile and six furlongs.
Newcastle, 1^st July 2023