TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter - Ralph Beckett

Words by Lissa Oliver

When Starlust came from a near last-to-first run to land the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in a thrilling finish, trainer Ralph Beckett was one of the few unsurprised by the 34-1 winner. It hadn’t been a long-term plan, but with the three-year-old colt’s liking for a flat track, as highlighted by his fondness for York, the team at Kimpton Down Stables in Hampshire were fairly confident. 

Beckett first took out his licence in 1999 and now has a team of 180 at the state-of-the-art yard in the idyllic Hampshire countryside near Andover, sending out 18 Gr.1 winners. Kimpton Down has three all-weather gallops, including a 1600m straight woodchip, and 35 acres of downland grass, that have been used as gallops for over a century. Beckett also installed a treadmill, enabling horses to remain in full work without being ridden, as well as being excellent for rehabilitating horses returning from injury. There are also 30 acres of turnout paddocks, used all year round thanks to the chalk base.

Starlust’s 2024 Breeders’ Cup win came only a month after Bluestocking had won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for Beckett, but for Starlust this was a first success at top-level. After a busy juvenile campaign the colt had run a creditable third to Big Evs in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in 2023, so was no stranger to an end-of-year trip to America.

“As in all of these things, and after the end of a long year, the main concern for us was to concentrate on the horse’s wellbeing, particularly after his traumatic experience in the Prix de l’Abbaye,” says Beckett, when Starlust was badly hampered in the final 200m and collided with the rail. “As much as anything it was about getting his head right. We took him away for a day, the day out being the most important thing rather than the work, and when he came home he was happy and we knew he was in good form.” 

The draw is all-important for the l’Abbaye, but Starlust had the luck of the draw at Del Mar. “He has shown a distinct liking for York and a flat track suits him very well, so that was particularly relevant,” Beckett points out. 

He acknowledges the work also put in by his team at the historic Kimpton Down Stables, particularly his Assistant Trainer Joe Tuite, Head Man and Assistant Gary Plasted, and Travelling Head Grooms Richard Arnold and Emma Wilkinson. “Emma does most of the work when they fly and has been with me a long time and knows the routine very well, she’s very experienced. At home, Joe Tuite and Gary Plasted are hugely experienced and Joao Cardoso, Barn Manager, knows the horse really well.

"Starlust is a really tough horse and that shone through at Del Mar. He's not had a break all year and has been at it since Meydan in January. He’ll definitely have a holiday now.”

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.”