
King Charles II Stakes Preview: Appleby's Double-Handed Assault
Charlie Appleby brings two to the King Charles II Stakes party, but Stellar Sunrise looks the one to beat in Friday's Listed feature at Newbury.

Horse Racing Writer
Born and raised in County Tipperary, Tom O'Brien grew up surrounded by jump racing. His family have been involved in point-to-pointing for three generations, and Tom spent his twenties working as a stable lad at several Irish yards before moving into sports journalism. He covers National Hunt racing with the passion of someone who's mucked out the stables.

Charlie Appleby brings two to the King Charles II Stakes party, but Stellar Sunrise looks the one to beat in Friday's Listed feature at Newbury.

The Betfred Nifty 50 at Newbury promises fireworks with top-weight Elarak facing a field of improvers on good ground.

The Jockey Club Stakes serves up a cracking renewal with Bay City Roller's class meeting seasoned stayers in a proper test of stamina and resolve.

The JCB Newmarket Stakes at Newbury brings together a fascinating field of 3yo colts, with top-rated Poseidon's Warrior facing serious questions.

Seven promising fillies clash in Friday's valuable maiden at Newbury, with Gosden's Velvet Vega facing stiff opposition from Haggas and Balding runners.

Perth's switch to the flat delivered a cracking card with progressive types and well-handicapped sorts catching the eye for future campaigns.

A cracking afternoon at Epsom with New Zealand showing his class in the Blue Riband Trial while several progressive sorts caught the eye.

A cracking evening's sport at Kempton delivered quality action across seven races, with several progressive types catching the eye for future campaigns.

A cracking afternoon at Southwell served up some proper racing theatre, with the fillies' novice providing the main course and plenty of progressive types to note.

The Blue Riband Trial at Epsom serves up a fascinating clash as Aidan O'Brien's New Zealand faces a mixed bag of challengers in this Derby pointer.

Mother Nature dealt Aintree a cruel hand as waterlogged conditions forced the abandonment of Sunday's flat card 72 hours before the off.

A championship-level card at Ripon delivered the goods with Grade 1 drama and several progressive sorts catching the eye for future campaigns.