Appleby Seeks Fourth Stonehenge Stakes Win with Quest For Stars
Charlie Appleby lines up Quest For Stars in Wednesday’s British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury, aiming to add to a remarkable recent sequence in the race. The Sea The Stars colt arrives unbeaten after two juvenile wins and gives Appleby the opportunity to register a fourth success in the contest following his victories with Albahr, Flying Honours and Arabian Crown between 2021 and 2023.
Form and connections
Quest For Stars made a winning debut at Doncaster and followed up with another front-running success at Sandown. Ridden by Connor Planas, the colt’s two runs mark him out as a progressive type stepping up to Listed company for the first time.
Andrew Balding teams up once more with Oisin Murphy to run Scommessa Sicura, while Hugo Palmer’s Velociraptor bids to take another step forward after an encouraging introduction and a subsequent victory at Chester. Velociraptor was third on his course debut behind Aidan O’Brien’s Haffner, who has since been prominent in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, and Palmer has elected to try a longer trip with his colt.
Other notable entries include Dandyman Dan, who moves to Oliver Cole’s yard after earlier performances at Group Three and Listed level for David Evans, and Marco Botti’s Rocket Boy, who impressed on debut at Yarmouth when coming from the rear to claim victory.
What the trainers say
Hugo Palmer reports that Velociraptor has progressed from his Newmarket debut and that the Chester win justified stepping him up in distance, with the team hopeful the colt can handle the mile.
Marco Botti has emphasised Rocket Boy’s laid-back nature at home and believes the experience of his Yarmouth win will have brought him on. Botti noted that while the step up in grade presents a tougher assignment, the form and pedigree suggest a mile should suit.
Supporting Listed feature: the Upavon Fillies’ Stakes
The card’s other Listed attraction is the British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon Fillies’ Stakes, where Ed Walker’s Felicitas heads the line after a second in the Musidora Stakes and a subsequent run in the Prix de Diane. The Teofilo filly drops back in class for this contest.
John and Thady Gosden’s Miss Scott and Sir Mark Prescott’s Alla Stella are among those expected to figure, while Annastarzy arrives having won three consecutive handicaps earlier in the summer for Richard Hannon before finishing sixth on her most recent start at Goodwood. Hannon has pointed out that Annastarzy is out of Anna Nerium, a mare who won the Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury, and the stable are seeking a first piece of black type for the filly.
Festival and racecourse context
Both Listed contests on the Salisbury card will appeal to connections targeting the autumn pattern, offering a timely stepping stone for promising juveniles and fillies dropping back from higher-level engagements. The formlines also intersect with Goodwood’s juvenile programme, with several runners having met or raced against rivals who have gone on to perform across the festival circuit, underlining the meeting’s role in the summer pattern.
With a compact but competitive line-up for the Stonehenge Stakes and an intriguing renewal of the Upavon Fillies’ Stakes, Salisbury provides a useful testing ground for trainers plotting autumn targets for their two-year-olds and three-year-old fillies.
