Newbury: Charlie Appleby 'delighted' as Notable Speech seals Lockinge triumph
Charlie Appleby confirmed Notable Speech is set for a career as a stallion after notching a fifth Group 1 win of his career in the feature Lockinge Stakes from Newbury on Saturday.
Saturday 16 May 2026 16:58, UK
Notable Speech looked to be at the peak of his powers with a simply brilliant win in the Boyle Sports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
The heavily-backed 2-1 favourite for Charlie Appleby and William Buick, the 2000 Guineas hero from two years ago was last seen picking up placed prize-money when particularly unlucky in Keeneland, having ended last season with victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
While an intriguing field had been assembled for this latest renewal of the Group One showpiece, Notable Speech was always travelling well within himself and Buick was able to pick off horses from the three-furlong pole onwards to score by two lengths from More Thunder, who himself ran a big race for William Haggas.
Appleby - who enjoyed a double at Newmarket on Friday after enduring a lean spell with his Moulton Paddocks operation - said: "He's got some turn of foot. We were stood there watching thinking 'I'm happy, as not many horses can quicken like he can' and if it turned into a burn up in the last couple of furlongs then William is on the right horse.
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"William knows him and has the confidence on him and I have the confidence in both of them. I always say to William you will either be a hero or a villain and sit and sit and when you want to go, sit again, and then at the last moment let him off.
"The team at home have done a great job, Colm O'Donoghue rides him and told me he's in the form of his life and he was right. The team has done a fantastic job and I'm delighted for the horse as that's a stallion making win for him."
Appleby added: "He will go on from here to the Queen Anne. We were unlucky in the Queen Anne last year and to be fair we've learned about this horse and I think knowing what we know now, we would have gone very close in the Queen Anne last year.
"Naturally he's going to go straight there now. We'll take Opera Ballo as well and it will be a big race for us, but I go there with Notable Speech more relaxed now that he has done that.
"All I wanted him to do was win another Group One in Europe and he's done that now."
For Buick, it was another magical moment aboard a horse who has provided him with both a Classic and Breeders' Cup triumph previously, showcasing all of his top-class attributes as he put a quality line-up to bed.
Buick said: "He has an explosive turn of foot and comes on the scene late and I thought he was exceptional today and felt amazing.
"It's a great training performance from Charlie and the team to get him back here in good shape and it was a phenomenal performance.
"We went to Keeneland last time thinking we would win and never got a fair crack at it at all and it was frustrating. But we knew he was coming here in good shape and it's always nice to correct those frustrating losses."
Song Of The Clyde hits the right notes in upsetting Albert Einstein
Song Of The Clyde upset Albert Einstein in claiming the Highclere Castle Gin Carnarvon Stakes.
An 18-1 chance under Hector Crouch for Clive Cox, the Middleham Park-owned colt led the trio travelling nearest the grandstand and eventually took up the lead when both groups merged.
At the furlong pole he was thoroughly eyeballed by Aidan O'Brien's much-vaunted 6-4 favourite Albert Einstein, but it was the outsider who put his head down and edged clear to succeed by a neck.
Cox said: "It was a warm race and he became very streetwise last season in those sales races where you have to be hardy.
"He showed a lot of quality and has an amazing temperament. I was a little worried he was a little bit fresh before the race, but he's clearly full of exuberance and well-being and never turned a hair before and he's showed there he's pretty tough.
"I don't think he handled the dip at Newmarket really in his comeback run and he was giving away lumps of weight and I was keen to come here after. Thankfully he's repaid our confidence.
"He's taken the step into Pattern company in his stride and we can hopefully look forward to more even better days."
The winner was made 16-1 from 100-1 by firms for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and Cox is keen to let him take his chance, where he could be joined in the race by Pavilion Stakes winner Coppull, who heads to Haydock next weekend.
Cox added: "I don't see why we don't go to Royal Ascot now and there's every reason to go there. It's great and I'm very proud."
O'Brien had promised fireworks from Albert Einstein when returned to sprinting and the son of Wootton Bassett did his own Ascot prospects no harm by taking the silver medal.
Paul Smith, son of Coolmore partner Derrick Smith, said: "We were happy with him and I think he'll improve again - Ryan (Moore) was happy enough with him and he's going in the right direction.
"I think we'll get him home and Aidan and the team will make a plan, but at the moment we're happy with what he is doing."
