Charlie Appleby believes Ghaiyyath can continue to improve at the required rate to challenge for this year’s Investec Derby.
After debuting at Doncaster in September, the three-year-old ended the season with a brace of wins in decent company at Newmarket and is being tipped for Classic contention.
Although no solid plans have been put in place, Appleby admits the son of Dubawi could be aimed for the June 2 extravaganza at Epsom.
“Ghaiyyath is wintering away well and I am pleased with what he is doing,” he said. “Physically he was an imposing two-year-old. He is just doing all the right things and putting on the condition in the right places and he looks well.
“We will see where we are in the spring in respects of a starting point. I’d like to think we are dealing with a horse we could think of as a Derby candidate.
“He has had it off in slow-paced work, but it is when we start building him back up in the spring, that will tell us trip-wise where we are going with him.”
