'He looks the one they all have to beat'

It has been a rocky year for Charlie Appleby with several of his leading lights retiring to stud but confidence is high behind Nations Pride as Godolphin's leading older horse heads into Sunday's Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes (10.39).

The Newmarket trainer won this race when it was last staged in 2021 with Walton Street and has excelled on his transatlantic raids in recent years, most recently with Master Of The Seas in the Woodbine Mile last month. 

Nations Pride will be searching for a third top-level success in the feature race, which has been reduced to 1m2f from 1m4f, after victories in the Saratoga Derby as a three-year-old and the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich in July.

Appleby hopes quicker ground than what Nations Pride faced in Germany last time can help the colt, who is building an impressively varied CV.

“Nations Pride has shown his versatility throughout the world, with victories in Europe, Dubai and North America," Appleby said. "He heads to Canada in great form. He beat a solid group of horses on his latest start in Germany, on ground that was probably softer than ideal. 

"He was very impressive on a quicker surface in the United States last year and looks the one they all have to beat.”

Royal Champion: last seen finishing third in the York Stakes

While the Mark Casse-trained Singspiel Stakes winner Palazzi leads the home charge, Nations Pride's biggest threat could come from just down the road in Newmarket as Roger Varian fields Wolferton Stakes winner Royal Champion.

Varian said: "The horse is in good form. We were very happy with his condition before he left and by all accounts he's in good shape out there. Charlie Appleby's horse looks the one to beat although we are not familiar with the form of the others. He used to be a bit inconsistent but he's had a good season."

Varian has yet to win the International but took the Grade 1 EP Taylor Stakes (9.31) with Sheikha Reika in 2018, and Appleby has targeted the race with Balanchine winner With The Moonlight.

The daughter of Frankel hasn't been seen since finishing sixth to Via Sistina at Newmarket in May but boasts a win and three seconds from four starts in the States, including victory in the Saratoga Oaks last August.

“With The Moonlight started her year with two good wins at Meydan before running another strong race behind In Italian at Keeneland," Appleby said. "The ground was against her in the Dahlia Stakes and we are looking forward to seeing her back on a sounder surface over a trip that suits. 

"This race has been the aim for a long time and she should be very competitive.”

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