Topspec Trainer of the Quarter - Mick Appleby

Article by Lissa Oliver

It wasn’t hard to single out Mick Appleby for our quarterly award, given such top-level international success in such a short space of time, leaving the yard “buzzing”, as Appleby says. With 105 boxes, The Homestead stables in Rutland, Leicestershire, is hardly a “small” stable, and Appleby is renowned for his All-Weather success, having been Champion Trainer for six years. But Group One successes on such an international scale are taking the team to new heights.

“Big Evs’ win at the Breeders’ Cup has been a great boost to the team and there’s a huge buzz around the yard,” says Appleby, “it’s good for all the team, they work so hard all year round.” Just to emphasise that, team-member Madan Singh has just reached the six Finalists for the prestigious Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, sponsored by Godolphin, in the Rider/Groom category.

Add to Big Evs’ grand end-of-season finale the success of Roberto Escobarr in the Premio St Leger Italiano, on his first run for the Appleby stable, and the final months of 2023 really have been quite a purple-patch for Appleby, who isn’t afraid of taking horses abroad for better prize money.

With over 30-years’ experience in racing, Appleby has gone from such roles as stable jockey to John Manners, head lad to Roger Curtis and Andrew Balding, to taking out his own licence in 2010. In 2014, he trained his first Group winner when Danzeno won the Grade 3 Chip Chase at Newcastle. 

The yard is set in 80 acres of Rutland countryside, with 20 paddocks and 40 acres of summer turnout fields. Appleby has also added schooling fences, hurdles and cross-country jumps around the fields and is working on re-opening an historic bridleway to allow further access for hacks across road-free countryside. Together with an undulating one-mile all-weather gallop, he has a five-furlong (1000m) oval gallop and a seven-furlong (1400m) straight grass gallop; with a solarium and a theraplate installed to allow different training regimes.

Appleby describes Big Evs’ run-up to the Breeders’ Cup as, “pretty straightforward, really. We didn’t do anything different with him, but we did use the bell for him to practise coming out of the stalls. We borrowed that from Adam West! But, to be fair, I don’t think it made any difference. He was absolutely grand, he took the travelling all in his stride and the experience didn’t faze him at all. Big Evs is on his holiday now, but he’ll be back for all the big 5f (1000m) races next year.”

Roberto Escobarr had only been bought by the yard in July, so the Premio St Leger Italiano hadn’t really been a target, Appleby says. “We saw that race and thought it might be good for him and luckily it all worked out well. He might go to Dubai now and, long-term, we might even think about the Melbourne Cup next year.”

Group One glory hasn’t changed anything at The Homestead. “It’s business as usual. Hopefully we might get offered more two-year-olds on the back of Big Evs,” Appleby hopes. “I’d just like to thank everyone for all their support and for all the congratulations that poured in for Big Evs, it was overwhelming really, and great for the staff who work hard all year round.”