Appleby Basking In Pinatubo Performance

[Wandering Eyes]

Four days removed from Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal)’s nine-length romp in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. at The Curragh, trainer Charlie Appleby said his star 2-year-old is doing well and that no decision will be made on future plans for at least a week.

“He came back from Ireland on Sunday night and he’s fit and well, thankfully,” the Newmarket-based Appleby said. “I spoke to His Highness [Sheikh Mohammed] straight after the race, and we both agreed we’d leave it a week or 10 days before we firmed up any decisions and give him chance to get back into his usual routine. We’ll make a final decision in the middle of next week. He’s had five runs, and he’s a Group 1 winner, so there is no pressure to run him again this year. But at the same time, the [G1] Dewhurst [S. on Oct. 12] is a lovely race to win, and at the moment there is no reason not to run him. We’ve all enjoyed the ride so far, and long may it continue.”

Appleby swerved the topic of comparing his budding star to past luminaries.

“There has obviously been a lot of talk about it since Sunday, but thankfully the horse doesn’t read the papers,” he said. “It’s up to other people to analyse his performance and compare him to other horses. From my point of view, I just feel very privileged to be able to train a horse like him.”

Appleby insisted that despite going unbeaten in five outings, which have also included the Listed Chesham S. and the G2 Vintage S., Pinatubo is not one to show much at home.

“As I’ve said all year, he’s not a horse who would catch your eye at home,” the trainer said. “He just eats, sleeps and drinks and goes about his business. I think there have been a few raised eyebrows after I’ve said that, and then he goes and does what he does on a racecourse, but he never shows me anything like that in the mornings. We always thought he was a nice horse, but I’ve never hyped him up because there really was nothing to hype up. He just goes up the gallop and joins his lead horse and doesn’t do much after that. You could set your watch by him.”

Appleby noted that the bay typically shows signs of stalling in his races before finding another gear.

“James [Doyle] said when he rode him in the Vintage he was a bit worried at one stage, but then he just changes gear and off he goes,” Appleby said. “Sunday was the first time William [Buick] has ridden him on the racecourse, and I told him not to be worried if he wasn’t travelling at halfway. William said afterwards he was niggling him along between the three and the two, but then when he put him in the gap he picked up and found another gear–he doesn’t do that at home.”

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