Nothing signals the arrival of spring for a Flat racing fan quite like the sight of the winter favourite for the 2,000 Guineas stepping back on to a racecourse, and Native Trail did everything his supporters could have hoped for – and enough to take another cut in the Classic betting – in a three-and-a-half-length win in the Craven Stakes.
Charlie Appleby’s colt was unbeaten in four starts last season. While he has not grown significantly taller over the winter, he was such a strapping two-year-old that there was no real need. What matters is that Native Trail’s engine, retains all its power, for all that it takes him a few strides to work his way through the gears, and the win on Wednesday was similar to his victory in the Dewhurst Stakes last autumn. A slight flat spot around two furlongs out was followed by a withering gallop to the line, with the 1-4 favourite increasing his advantage with every stride once he reached the rising ground.
