Charlie Appleby’s Nabati won the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, 19 September 2026, beating Andrew Balding’s Jolivette by the narrowest of short-heads in a finish that resonated well beyond the result itself. The race was run in honour of the late Ian Balding, and the identity of winning jockey William Buick — who spent formative time at Kingsclere during his youth — lent the afternoon a poignancy that Andrew Balding himself acknowledged in the aftermath.
Nabati, a Night Of Thunder colt sent off at 7-4, dropped back to six furlongs for the £175,000 feature and battled gamely to record his third win from five career starts, according to Darley Europe. The runner-up, Jolivette, ran for the Juddmonte colours trained by Andrew Balding — Ian Balding’s son — making the short-head margin a particularly charged outcome for all connected with the Kingsclere yard in Hampshire.
Buick’s personal tribute
Buick spoke after the race about the depth of his connection to Kingsclere. He recalled that he was 12 years old during the first summer holiday he spent at the yard, and that watching archive footage of Ian Balding on the racecourse screens before racing had brought back a great many memories. He said he had woken that morning feeling the horse was being run back a touch quickly, but had resolved to do his best in honour of Balding, who he believed would have been watching.
Buick described the finish as exactly what Balding would have appreciated — two horses giving everything from the furlong pole to the line — and suggested a dead-heat would have been a perfect result, while making clear he was glad to have won a race of such personal significance. He also credited Appleby with a well-judged decision to drop Nabati back in trip, noting that the colt’s previous outing in the Listed Betfred Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster had unfolded away from him and had probably not taken a great deal out of him as a consequence.
Andrew Balding was generous in defeat. He said he was delighted with Jolivette’s effort, describing her as a talented filly who goes on any ground and who had put everything into the run without quite being able to get the job done. He expressed his gratitude to Newbury Racecourse and Dubai Duty Free for honouring his father with the race’s dedication, and acknowledged that, given everything, having Buick — a Kingsclere product — win it was about as fitting an outcome as could be imagined.
Form reversal at the head of the market
The finishing order carried significant competitive weight. Michael Dods’ Arapaho Gold, the 5-4 market leader, finished third having arrived at Newbury unbeaten in four career starts. Those victories included the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York and the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury — the latter over the same course and distance in July, when Arapaho Gold had beaten Nabati by a neck. The gelding also carried top weight of 9st 6lb on Saturday, a factor that will inform assessments of the form.
Nabati’s ability to reverse that Rose Bowl form against a previously unbeaten rival — stepping back to six furlongs having most recently raced over a longer trip at Doncaster — underlines the merit of the performance. Appleby indicated after the race that the colt is likely to head to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, according to Darley Europe’s post-race report.
Nabati’s profile
Darley Europe reported that Nabati was purchased as an 850,000 guineas yearling, is bred by Forenaghts Stud and is the second foal out of the mare Pronouncement, who had previously produced the stakes-placed gelding Chicago Call. Darley Europe also noted he appreciated being back on fast ground at Newbury. The Mill Reef win gave Appleby and Buick back-to-back victories in the race, following their success with Words Of Truth 12 months earlier.
Night Of Thunder’s remarkable afternoon
The Newbury victory formed one half of a juvenile Group-race double for the sire Night Of Thunder on 19 September. Later that afternoon, his daughter Silent Beauty won the Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes at Ayr by nearly two lengths for Amo Racing, handling heavy ground to complete what Darley Europe described as a banner day for the stallion. Darley Europe reported that Night Of Thunder had now sired 22 Group winners in 2026, more than any other stallion in the world.
Nicholls lands first Group winner on the same card
Earlier at Newbury, 20-year-old apprentice Jack Nicholls rode Karl Burke’s filly Miss Yechance to win the Group 3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes by a neck from Clive Cox’s Shagraan at 12-1. Nicholls, who had previously guided the same filly to handicap success at York’s Ebor meeting, said it was the biggest win of his career. He said he had told his father before travelling to Newbury that he hoped to finish in the first four, and that his father had told him simply to keep a level head and not do anything he would not normally do. He described the season as one in which he had ticked off everything he had wanted, and said winning a Group race on his first ride in one was particularly special. Nicholls also paid tribute to Burke for trusting him in a Group contest as a 3lb claimer.
| Position | Horse | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nabati | Charlie Appleby | 7-4 |
| 2nd | Jolivette | Andrew Balding | — |
| 3rd | Arapaho Gold | Michael Dods | 5-4 fav |
The Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes was run over six furlongs at Newbury on 19 September 2026 with a total prize fund of £175,000.