The turn of foot shown by Notable Speech in the Lockinge Stakes was nothing short of spectacular
- Turf Diario
- May 17
- 3 min read
Godolphin’s champion once again displayed his dazzling acceleration at Newbury, erased the disappointment of Keeneland, and confirmed himself as one of the leading contenders for the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot
NEWBURY, England (Special to Turf Diario).- There had been a lingering sense of unfinished business following that frustrating effort in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland, where he never found clear running when seemingly poised to win. But this Saturday, in the BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes (G1), Notable Speech reminded everyone exactly why he is regarded as one of the best milers in the world.
With a devastating burst over the final 400 meters, Godolphin’s star overwhelmed his rivals at Newbury, reclaiming his place among Europe’s elite while also confirming that the immediate target will now be the Queen Anne Stakes (G1)at Royal Ascot.
The son of Dubawi, winner of the 2024 2000 Guineas (G1) and already a multiple Group 1 scorer, was heavily backed at the windows and responded with a dominant performance, defeating More Thunder (Night of Thunder) by two lengths while Zeus Olympios (Night of Thunder) completed the trifecta.
“It was a tremendous training performance by Charlie Appleby to bring him back in this kind of form,” said William Buick, clearly impressed. “Everything seemed to be collapsing in front of me, but he has an extraordinary turn of foot. He’s a top-class miler.”
The formula once again proved the same: absolute patience followed by a lethal finishing kick.
Buick kept him tucked away in sixth while the leader, (Lope de Vega), established demanding fractions. Once a seam opened in the stretch, Notable Speech changed gears in devastating fashion and settled the race within just a few strides.
“He’s got an incredible change of pace and he arrives late on the scene,” Buick explained. “We thought we were going to win at Keeneland and never got a clear opportunity. That was frustrating. So it was important to correct that defeat today.”
For Charlie Appleby, the performance also carried enormous importance from a future stallion perspective.
“Very few horses can accelerate like him,” said the Godolphin trainer. “William knows him perfectly. I always tell him: ‘You’re either going to be the hero or the villain—wait, wait… and only let him go at the very end.’ Today it worked perfectly.”
Appleby also made the next target crystal clear.
“He’ll go to the Queen Anne. We didn’t have much luck there last year, and now we know the horse far better. All I wanted was for him to win another European Group 1, and he’s done that. That’s also the kind of victory that builds a stallion.”
Behind the winner, More Thunder confirmed he belongs at this level.
The William Haggas trainee finished strongly for second and will likely head toward Royal Ascot as well.
“I’m delighted with him,” Haggas said. “Maybe he was just a little too far back early, but he finished really well. I think he’ll remain very competitive over both seven furlongs and a mile.”
Third-place finisher Zeus Olympios maintained the impression that he could develop into a major force this season. Trainer Karl Burke emphasized that the colt is still learning.
“He’s a horse very much in progression,” Burke said. “For a moment I thought we might win. He still showed a bit of inexperience, but it was a huge step forward.”
Further back, Dancing Gemini (Camelot) closed strongly and may now attempt 2000 meters in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1), while the disappointing sixth-place effort from Damysus (Frankel) left the Wathnan Racing team puzzled.
But the day belonged entirely to one horse.
And that horse was Notable Speech, who once again spoke loudly among Europe’s elite.
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