Charlie Appleby confirms Native Trail will race as four-year-old
- Planet Sport writer
- 7 October 2022
Irish 2000 Guineas winner Native Trail will continue his racing career as a four-year-old.
The champion two-year-old in 2021, he was sent off the 5/4 favourite for the 2000 Guineas following an emphatic victory over the course and distance in the Craven on his reappearance.
He had to settle for second behind stablemate Coroebus in that first Classic of the season, but won the Irish equivalent at the Curragh three weeks later as Appleby achieved the enviable feat of winning the English, Irish and French Guineas in the same season as Modern Games won in Paris.
Upped in trip for the Eclipse following his Classic success, he was not disgraced when third, beaten only half a length by Vadeni. However, following a below-par performance in the Juddmonte International at York, the Moulton Paddocks team decided to put a halt on his campaign and take stock ahead of a four-year-old career back at his Classic-winning distance.
"Native Trail is still in at Ascot, but he won't run," said trainer Charlie Appleby. "He had a hard enough campaign and I think you could see it was beginning to tell.
"He is going to stay in training next season. As a team we decided to just see what the mile division is stacking up like next year and we'll have a nice fresh horse to start off again with next season."
