Charlie Appleby last won the Lockinge Stakes (G1) in 2023 with 2022 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner Modern Games. The trainer attempts to pull the same double this year as he has declared Godolphin's four-time group 1 winner and reigning Breeders' Cup Mile winner Notable Speech for the May 16 event at Newbury Racecourse.
Eclipse champion turf male Notable Speech enters the Lockinge after making his season debut in the April 10 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland, a race in which he finished a troubled fourth as the favorite. Modern Games followed the same pattern in 2023, finishing second in the Maker's Mark before his Lockinge win.
Damysus will be searching for a fourth win in a row and a first at group 1 level after being one of 10 declared for the Lockinge.
The Wathnan-owned 4-year-old made an impressive winning return last month when landing the Earl of Sefton Stakes (G3) at Newmarket Racecourse. He steps into deeper waters here and runs at the top level for only the second time after finishing last in last year's Epsom Derby (G1).
John and Thady Gosden have won three of the last six runnings of the race and will be hoping Damysus can continue their fine record.
The other rivals include the Karl Burke-trained Zeus Olympios, who lost his unbeaten record when third to Opera Ballo in the Sandown Mile Stakes (G2) at Sandown Park last month, but can be expected to improve for that seasonal return. Cicero's Gift, who was fourth in that race at Sandown, has also been declared.
Aidan O'Brien had three entrants but declared only two, headed by The Lion In Winter, who is the mount of Ryan Moore. The other is market outsider Mississippi River, with Sean Levey taking the ride.
Other declarations include last year's runner-up Dancing Gemini for Roger Teal, while Jonquil goes for Andrew Balding in the same Juddmonte colors that saw Lead Artist topple Dancing Gemini 12 months ago.
Tom Marquand will partner the William Haggas-trained More Thunder, while there is international interest in the shape of the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Sahlan, who makes his first start since finishing fifth behind Notable Speech in last year's Breeders' Cup Mile. He will bid to become the first French-trained winner since Keltos in 2002.
Newbury's two-day meeting begins May 15 and clerk of the course George Hill is planning to water May 14 after a dry month in which the track has received only 3 1/2 millimeters of rain since the Greenham meeting four weeks ago.
