Words Of Truth scurries to Sandown victory

Words Of Truth stamped his class on the BetMGM Scurry Stakes to complete a pre-Royal Ascot double for Charlie Appleby at Sandown.

By his high standards the Moulton Paddocks handler has been a little quiet in terms of winners in recent weeks, so he will be relieved to have dispelled any worries about the form of his yard as he prepares to saddle both Notable Speech and Opera Ballo in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting on Tuesday, as well as the promising Talk Of New York in the St James’s Palace.

After landing the BetMGM Fillies’ Handicap with the Toby Moore-ridden City Queen (5-1), Appleby fired a twin assault at the afternoon’s Listed feature, with 15-8 favourite Words Of Truth joined by his stablemate and chief market rival Military Code.

Words Of Truth was carrying a 5lb penalty for his Group Two success in last season’s Mill Reef Stakes and had been off the track since suffering an odds-on defeat at Meydan in January, but he defied both factors under Oisin Murphy, quickening up smartly to beat Lady Youmzain by a length.

Murphy said: “He’s already a Group Two winner and this was a drop in grade to Listed level. You’d hope a higher grade of race is within his grasp again.

“He’s a beautiful horse with lots of quality. He travelled well and it helps sometimes being drawn a bit high on this sprint course because you don’t have to use them to keep daylight, whereas when you’re drawn low you can end up forcing just to keep some space.

“He has to come along a fair bit, but the sprint on Champions Day (at Ascot in October) on soft ground at the backend of his three-year-old career could suit.”

Assistant trainer Alex Merriam added: “The ground is probably a bit on the dead side, which from his form last year was always going to suit him.

“He needed to run and he probably wasn’t going to be quite good enough for Ascot so this was a suitable race. It’s a stiff five furlongs here, he could probably go six and we’re happy.

“There are no major plans but we’ll look at races over six and go from there.”