Charlie Appleby Sets Rebel’s Romance For Newmarket Return

Charlie Appleby has confirmed Rebel’s Romance is being aimed at the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket on July 9, with a Saratoga Breeders’ Cup qualifier also under consideration later in the summer.

The Godolphin gelding skipped a defence of his Hardwicke Stakes crown at Royal Ascot, with Appleby choosing instead to keep the eight-year-old fresh for Newmarket’s July Festival. It is a significant reroute for one of the most durable international turf horses in training, particularly with the Breeders’ Cup Turf still shaping the second half of his campaign.

According to Racing TV’s update on Rebel’s Romance, Appleby said the veteran has been pleasing him at home and that Newmarket carries extra appeal because it is where the horse broke his maiden on turf.

Saratoga Remains In The Summer Picture

Rebel’s Romance could then head to the Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf Stakes at Saratoga on August 15. That race, formerly the Sword Dancer, is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” contest over a mile and a half.

The plan keeps Appleby’s global options open after Rebel’s Romance returned this year with victory in the Dubai City Of Gold at Meydan. A Newmarket run would test whether the old engine is still sharp enough before Godolphin decides whether to launch another American turf campaign.