Appleby bids for another Stonehenge success with Quest For Stars
Charlie Appleby heads to Salisbury with Quest For Stars for the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes, aiming to extend a fine run in the race. The Sea The Stars colt arrives unbeaten in two starts, having broken his maiden at Doncaster before following up at Sandown, and steps up to Listed company as he stretches out in trip.
Form and contenders
Quest For Stars will carry the momentum of back-to-back wins, appearances that have encouraged connections to test him at this level. Appleby won the Stonehenge Stakes in each of 2021, 2022 and 2023, and supplies a strong local reference for the colt’s prospects.
Andrew Balding partners with Oisin Murphy to saddle Scommessa Sicura, a recent scorer at Newmarket who will provide a different profile in the line-up. Hugo Palmer fields Velociraptor, a colt who shaped on debut at Salisbury behind Aidan O’Brien’s Haffner and subsequently registered a convincing victory at Chester, prompting his trainer to look to a step up in distance.
Other runners include Dandyman Dan, who has contested Group Three and Listed company for David Evans and now makes his first start for Oliver Cole, and Rocket Boy for Marco Botti, who tries to follow up on a promising debut success at Yarmouth. Rocket Boy is by Soldier’s Call but, according to his trainer, pedigree on the dam’s side gives reason to believe a mile will suit.
Race context
The Stonehenge Stakes has been a useful early-season measure for three-year-old colts and geldings, providing a stepping stone for those that can handle the rise to Listed level. Appleby’s recent dominance in the event underlines its appeal to prominent middle-distance juvenile prospects, while the presence of several different training yards highlights the race’s competitive nature.
Upavon Fillies’ Stakes features a notable drop in class for Felicitas
The Salisbury card also includes the British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon Fillies’ Stakes, where Felicitas is expected to take up a prominent role after contesting higher-grade assignments earlier in the season. The Teofilo filly was runner-up in the Musidora Stakes and then contested the French Oaks, and connections have elected to return her to a more conventional pattern race assignment.
John and Thady Gosden’s Miss Scott and Sir Mark Prescott’s Alla Stella provide experienced opposition, while Annastarzy — who recorded a hat-trick of handicap wins for Richard Hannon between late May and early July — lines up following a recent outing at Goodwood. Hannon reports the filly has been in good form and that the step up in class is an opportunity to seek black type, pointing to potential for further improvement.
What to watch
- Quest For Stars’ ability to handle the step up from maiden and novice company to Listed standard.
- Velociraptor’s response to an increase in trip after a course debut at Salisbury and a subsequent Chester win.
- Rocket Boy’s progression from Yarmouth and whether experience will count over the longer mile.
- Felicitas’ reappearance in a lower grade and how she fares against proven fillies such as Miss Scott and Annastarzy.
As summer racing moves through its festival season, Salisbury’s Listed contests furnish both a testing ground for emerging three-year-olds and a chance for established performers to regroup. The card presents a compact, competitive set of opportunities for trainers and owners to target black type at a timely stage of the campaign.
