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Feed Balancers and Quality Horse Feeds
TOPSPEC TRAINER OF THE QUARTER
MICK APPLEBY The TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Mick Appleby. Appleby and his team will receive £1,000 worth of TopSpec feed, supplements and additives as well as a consultation with one of their senior nutritionists. WORDS: LISSA OLIVER PHOTOGRAPHY: BILL DENVER/ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE
t wasn’t hard to single out Mick Appleby for our quarterly award, given such top-level international success in such a short space of time, leaving the yard “buzzing”, as Appleby says. With 105 boxes, The Homestead stables in Rutland, Leicestershire, is hardly a “small” stable, and Appleby is renowned for his AllWeather success, having been Champion Trainer for six years. But Group One successes on such an international scale are taking the team to new heights. “Big Evs’ win at the Breeders’ Cup has been a great boost to the team and there’s a huge buzz around the yard,” says Appleby, “it’s good for all the team, they
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work so hard all year round.” Just to emphasise that, team-member Madan Singh has just reached the six Finalists for the prestigious Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, sponsored by Godolphin, in the Rider/Groom category. Add to Big Evs’ grand end-of-season finale the success of Roberto Escobarr in the Premio St Leger Italiano, on his first run for the Appleby stable, and the final months of 2023 really have been quite a purple-patch for Appleby, who isn’t afraid of taking horses abroad for better prize money. With over 30-years’ experience in racing, Appleby has gone from such roles as stable jockey to John Manners, head
lad to Roger Curtis and Andrew Balding, to taking out his own licence in 2010. In 2014, he trained his first Group winner when Danzeno won the Grade 3 Chip Chase at Newcastle. The yard is set in 80 acres of Rutland countryside, with 20 paddocks and 40 acres of summer turnout fields. Appleby has also added schooling fences, hurdles and cross-country jumps around the fields and is working on re-opening an historic bridleway to allow further access for hacks across road-free countryside. Together with an undulating one-mile all-weather gallop, he has a five-furlong (1000m) oval gallop and a seven-furlong (1400m) straight grass gallop; with a