Leading British trainer Charlie Appleby has stated that his stable star Ghaiyyath is flying at home having matured during the winter and coming on again for his win on his seasonal debut at Newmarket.
The son of Dubawi was known last season for jet setting all over the globe to win races which saw him land a Group One in Germany by 14 lengths a Group Two in France and also a Group Three in Meydan.
He headed to the Prix de l'arc de Triomphe on his final start last season and didn't run any sort of race but seems to be a completely different animal this term.
The five year old, with the current travel restrictions due to the on going crisis in the world, looks to be sticking to contests on home soil this season and showed just how special he was when landing the Group One Coronation Cup at Newmarket at the start of June.
He went on to beat Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck along with three time Ascot Gold Cup winner Stradivarius in that black type event, subsequently breaking the track record.
It's now more or less official...
— The Winners Enclosure (@TWEnclosure) June 25, 2020
It's Ghaiyyath vs Enable in the Coral Eclipse next Sunday 🤤
🎬 @RacingTV pic.twitter.com/P7zgR60KK4
His next test should see him take on the queen of British flat racing in Enable at Sandown in the Group One Coral Eclipse.
(Credit AtTheRaces) Appleby said: “I’m very pleased with him. Obviously since the Coronation he’s had an easy spell.“We’re dealing with a different horse this year, to be honest, post-race he’s taking it a lot better than he did last year.
“Obviously when you put up those big performances it’s going to take something out of you – but he’s taking his racing well this year, and it’s all systems go for the Eclipse.
“We’ve seen two big performances from him in Germany and the Coronation, and he’s never really done much wrong. He’s only put one disappointing run in, and that was in the Arc when it was soft ground and a tough race on the front-end.
“Up until then you’d have a job to knock him. We’ve also learned about his favoured ground, too. At the end of his two-year-old season I was saying he’d appreciate cut in the ground, but it’s in black and white that he prefers fast ground.
“The Coronation was a fast time, and it seems to be working out well. We’re pleased with him and looking forward to Sandown.”
Ghaiyyath is currently a 5-2 chance to land the Eclipse, whilst Enable is the odds on 10-11 favourite.