CHARLIE Appleby was expected to win the $400,000 Grade 2 Man o’ War Stakes at Aqueduct last weekend.

But the surprise was that the winner was not the short-priced Godolphin first string.

The odds-on choice Nations Pride and Frankie Dettori faded to third in the straight, as Appleby’s other runner, 4/1 shot Silver Knott, took charge and rolled to a four and a half-length victory.

“He’s done nothing but improve, so fingers crossed he keeps going that way,” said assistant Alex Merriam of the Lope De Vega gelding, after 11-furlong stakes race for older horses.

Silver Knott has been a frequent visitor to the US, making his last six starts at American racetracks in either Grade 1s or 2s.

He was second by a nose in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and made it two wins in a row in Grade 2 company this year at distances of 11 furlongs or longer.

He started 2024 with a win in the April 20th Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland.

Nations Pride, unraced since November, tracked the pace-setting 43/1 shot So High from second under Frankie Dettori and moved to the front turning for home, but weakened in the final furlong.

Peter Pan

“He had a great trip. He had a layoff and just needed this race to sharp him up. He ran superb but the last eighth of a mile I didn’t have that kick,” Dettori said.

Both Godolphin runners will head to Saratoga for a summer campaign.

Bred by St Albans Bloodstock, it was the fifth win in 14 starts for the son of the Group 1-winning Nathaniel mare God Given.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Antiquarian will likely head to the Belmont Stakes as the son of Preservationist finished as though he would appreciate a longer distance in getting past The Wine Steward to win the $200,000, nine-furlong Peter Pan Stakes by three-quarters of a length under John Velazquez.

The victory was the second in four starts for the Centennial Farms-owned colt. He ran a close sixth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, beaten four lengths by tonight’s Preakness runner Catching Freedom.

Three wide around both turns, he advanced on the leaders coming into the straight and wore down The Wine Steward in the final furlong

TRAINER Mark Casse has already tasted Royal Ascot success with top mare Tepin and he could be back for more after the appropriately named Bullet struck a blow in the $106,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Gulfstream.

Casse won the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting in 2016 and this daughter of War Front earned an automatic berth in one of the six juvenile races at the summer showpiece in the valuable Gulfstream qualifier.

Making her first start in the five-furlong event, Bullet was slowly away and still had the whole field to pass entering the home straight before surging home to land the first prize with a degree of ease.

“She’s been kind of on the ‘A’ team for us from the beginning. She’s not a real big filly, she’s just beautiful, and we sent her down there kind of thinking about this race. And for her to overcome such adversity in her first start speaks volumes for her,” Casse told www.drf.com. She could now try to replicate the exploits of Crimson Advocate who claimed this race before landing the Queen Mary Stakes at the Royal meeting. Bullet was ridden to victory by Emisael Jaramillo who was also in the saddle aboard Jose D’Angelo’s Gabaldon in the other Ascot qualifying event on the card, the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes.

D’Angelo is also eyeing a cross-channel trip to the UK and said: “I was looking for a horse to try to go to Royal Ascot and he was the one that was ready. So I tried him on grass to see if he could handle it.”

Percy Warner

Snap happy with win number three in Nashville

Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle Stakes (Grade 1)

AMERICA’s top jumps horse of the last few seasons, Snap Decision captured the $200,000 Grade 1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle Stakes at Percy Warner in Nashville, to make it a third victory in the race.

Less than three lengths covered the first four home in the three-mile Iroquois, the longest of the National Steeplechase Association Grade 1 races.

Former French-trained Vae Patron led for much of the race before being passed by Snap Decision over the second-to-last fence, and attempted to come back on the winner but could not pass him down the stretch.

Riverdee Stable’s Zabeel Champion ran third with Danny Mullins fourth of the six on the former British-trained Sebastopol.

Graham Watters was aboard Snap Decision for trainer Jack Fisher and owner Bruton Street-US.

“He should be called Mr Iroquois,” Watters said afterwards of his mount, a 10-year-old gelded son of Hard Spun.

His age may prevent him being awarded the top US jumper as the NYRA, who govern Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga, do not allow 10-year-olds to compete over jumps where four Grade 1s will be run

There was no luck for Irish connections with Andy Dufesne and Sam Ewing only fifth of seven in the Mason Houghland Memorial allowance race over three miles over timber and the other Elliott runner Roboreti pulled up in his earlier race, both now racing for Del Roi Racing.

Leslie Young and Jamie Bargary had three winners on the card including two Irish-breds in the features, Old Tom Morris and Ready To Wear.