Charlie Appleby had made little secret of his nagging feeling that Coroebus could have the beating of Native Trail, last season’s champion juvenile, in their three-year-old season, so there could be no complaints from favourite-backers as the 5-1 shot beat the 5-4 market leader in the 2,000 Guineas here.
The 1-2 was Appleby’s first success in the Newmarket Classic, the first defeat of Native Trail’s career and a clear sign that Appleby will mount a strong defence of the Flat trainer’s championship, which he won for the first time in 2021. James Doyle, meanwhile, went into the race without a victory to his name in any of the British Classics and memories of near-misses in the 2,000 Guineas aboard Kingman and Barney Roy.
