Charlie Appleby Seeks Strong Finish with Notable Speech at Breeders' C

Charlie Appleby Seeks Strong Finish with Notable Speech at Breeders' Cup

Trainer Charlie Appleby aims to finish a difficult season on a high note with Notable Speech at the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 30, 2026 · 5:18 PM 4 min read

Key takeaways

Charlie Appleby arrived at Keeneland in Kentucky on Wednesday morning with his stable's fortunes improving significantly.

Appleby has trained 12 winners from 32 runners at the meeting, achieving a strike rate near 40 per cent.

Notable Speech will compete in his final career start before moving to the stallion roster at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.

El Cordobes is priced at 20-1 for the £3.7 million race after finishing third in the event last year.

For several months, Charlie Appleby faced a turbulent season that lacked many major triumphs. In April, his horses performed exceptionally well at the start. However, the Godolphin team's momentum stalled quickly, leaving Notable Speech winning the Lockinge as a rare bright spot.

Victories became scarce, horses struggled with form, and another blank week occurred at Royal Ascot, marking his third winless outing there in four years. Such a dry spell inevitably brought intense scrutiny for Godolphin's leading trainer. He acknowledged the criticism while insisting he remained calm and focused.

By Wednesday morning upon arriving at Keeneland in Kentucky, his positive demeanor indicated a complete turnaround in the stable's luck. Back at a familiar venue, his team is performing strongly again. Appleby remarked, "Everyone has got their opinions, we heard it all during the season and I told everyone what I thought about things during the spring."

He added, "We were dreaming over the winter but reality soon kicked in and, from my perspective, I just felt the horses weren't really there. We've had a lot of great days and great horses, but it's a tough sport and you're never going to have it all your own way all the time. You just have to sort yourselves out, not panic, keep working and place the horses in the best races. Things have really improved now and we've had a strong finish to the season. We've got some nice horses in the armoury for next year, some nice two-year-olds who should be competitive in the Classics. We keep moving forwards."

Keeneland Success

Valuable races await participants at Keeneland. Appleby holds an unmatched record at this meeting among European and American trainers. Across 32 runners, he has secured 12 victories, translating to a strike rate approaching 40 per cent.

Appleby stated, "It's not our first rodeo. We've been here many times before and you just need to find the right horses. People see how we campaign them to get here, we like to use other races in America and Canada as a springboard. You get to know then if a horse is the right type to bring over, it's probably why we've had success here. This meeting is very important to us, it's special."

Notable Speech Ready for Final Bow

Notable Speech represents a strong contender for high stakes at the Breeders' Cup. This five-year-old will run his final race before starting stallion duties at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket. Throughout his career, he has claimed seven top-level wins without often dominating media headlines.

Appleby noted, "There's no point telling Notable Speech what to do. He knows his job so well and he is just so at home when he comes over to America. He's 100 per cent, he's ready to go. He comes here off a win in Canada, and William Buick got off him and said he'd have won it a lot easier if he'd been a bit closer to the pace. We've got a nice draw on Saturday, there seems to be lots of pace on the inside so hopefully we can find a good slot and slingshot for home. That finishing kick is his trademark. It's the end of an era as this will be his last race. Hopefully we saw the new boy coming through at Ascot when Talk Of New York won the QEII. He has some big shoes to fill."

El Cordobes Steps Up

El Cordobes aims to replace the stable legend Rebel's Romance, who won the Breeders' Cup Turf twice. Priced at 20-1 for the £3.7 million race, the five-year-old finished third in the same event last year, and Appleby believes he offers value against Diamond Necklace and Bay City Roller.

Appleby said, "El Cordobes has come forward a good bit from his run at Belmont. He trained well at home before flying out here and from what I've seen in the mornings he seems in great nick, having a buck and a kick. I think he is going to outrun his price. We've bought two very experienced horses over. They're both fit and well and, with luck, I'm expecting both of them to run big races."