Despite an unsuccessful Royal Ascot week, trainer Charlie Appleby enjoyed a double on the card at Newmarket on Saturday with Ancient Wisdom taking out the 7f Class 4 Join Racing TV Now British EBF Novice Stakes.
An impressive five-length winner of a Haydock novice affair on debut, Ancient Wisdom produced a near-identical performance at Newmarket (July) under jockey James Doyle. On both occasions, he travelled strongly in the early part of the race before being encouraged to take the lead around the two-furlong marker, drifting left as he was asked for an effort. At Newmarket, he was kept up to his task by James Doyle inside the final furlong but allowed to ease up before the finish, shaping considerably better than the one-and-three-quarter winning margin suggested.
Although the colt holds an entry for a novice stakes event on Thursday at Leicester, Charlie Appleby indicated in post-race interviews that Ancient Wisdom would be targeted at the Group 2 Superlative Stakes over course and distance in July, a race won by leading juvenile Qurto and subsequent Dewhurst and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Native Trail for the yard in 2018 and 2021.
Ancient Wisdom was the second top-lot at Arqana's Yearling Sale in August, bought for 2,000,000 euros from Ecurie des Monceaux. The stud also consigned the top-lot, a full-brother to Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Sottsass, who was sold to Yoshita Yagani for 2,100,000 euros and is yet to see the racecourse. Ancient Wisdom hails from a French family of Black Type performers and his second-dam Gold Round was a half-sister to Goldikova, three-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeder's Cup Mile.
The Dubawi colt is the third foal out of Dalakhani mare Golden Valentine, who was trained by Freddie Head and won the Group 3 Prix Minerve. Her first foal Shadowfax (Galileo) was bought for 450,000 euros as a yearling and was gelded after a disappointing debut at Newbury. A pairing with Dubawi for her second foal was more successful, with the colt selling for 750,000 euros at the 2021 Deauville August Yearling Sale and winning as a juvenile for Simon and Ed Crisford.
Golden Valentine is a full-sister to Goldwaki, who won the Group 3 Prix Du Lys as a three-year-old, and a half-sister to Luck (Kitten's Joy) who was sent to the US after winning twice in France and recorded a victory in the Grade 3 Robert J Frankel Stakes on her final start. There is a considerable stamina influence in the pedigree, with Golden Valentine's dam Gold Round producing ten individual winners from nine to twelve furlongs on the Flat.
With a proven pedigree over longer trips and Charlie Appleby choosing to take the tried-and-tested route of the Group 2 Superlative Stakes, it seems likely that Ancient Wisdom is destined for a Classic campaign in 2024.
