‘He Is Nicest I’ve Ever Had’ – Evans Has Hong Kong Plan For Rohaan

Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) will head to Hong Kong after he finished a creditable fourth behind Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 British Champions Sprint, his trainer David Evans has revealed.

A kinder draw may have resulted in an even better performance from the Ascot specialist on Saturday, according to Evans, who is now concentrating on an international campaign with his stable star.

He said, “It was a bit awkward really. We didn't really know which side they were going to go and we didn't have the pace to chase.

“Adam [Kirby, jockey] got there just right to beat them, but had he been drawn on Kinross's side, while he may not have won, he'd have been second without a doubt. He has come back fine. He always does, touch wood.”

Winner of nine of his 28 races, the 4-year-old could receive an invitation to race abroad over the winter, with the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Dec. 11 circled on the calendar.

Evans added, “He has an entry for Hong Kong–the entries closed today, so he is in that, but we will have to get an invite. So I don't know where he will go at the moment, it is up to the owners.

“If he got an invite to Hong Kong, it would be silly not to go. We didn't get an invite to the Breeders' Cup.”

He added, “I don't think anyone has seen the best of him. We have got the hang of him now. He is easy to train and he stands his racing exceptionally well–he has been on the go all year.

“He doesn't take a lot out of himself. He just travels into a race and then does his little spurt. He is an easy horse who has got ability. He is probably the nicest horse I've ever had and it is nice to have him. He will get there one day, I think.”

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Evans Has Haydock In Mind For Star Sprinter Rohaan

David Evans has nominated the G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock as the likely next outing for his star sprinter Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) after his excellent fourth in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on Sunday.

The 4-year-old bounced back from a spell in the wilderness when successfully defending his crown in the Wokingham S. at Royal Ascot in June.

After finishing a creditable fourth in a Group 3 at Newbury, Rohaan proved he still has what it takes to be a force to be reckoned with at the highest level at Deauville, with Evans of the opinion that he could have even finished closer to the winner Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}).

“I think he probably had the worst draw and there wasn't enough pace for him. Other than that he ran exceptionally well,” said Evans.

“It was difficult for Adam [Kirby, jockey]. He was waiting to go through them and the gap closed, so he had to pull out. He gave him a good ride and he ran a good race.

“He was probably a little bit unlucky, but I always thought he was good enough and he is good enough. He's got a brilliant turn of foot when he switches on and it's just about using it at the right time.”

Rohaan holds an entry in the G2 Sky Bet City Of York S. over seven furlongs on Aug. 20, but is more likely to wait for Haydock, where he won the Sandy Lane S. last season.

Evans added, “I think we'll probably go to Haydock. He's in at York, but it's a bit close and Haydock is a bit close to that and he likes Haydock.

“He's not far away and I think he'll get better. He goes on any ground as well, so we have no worries on that score.

“It's nice to see him being a bit more consistent. We thought he had everything last year and he just went to pieces.”

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Choux Flies In Face Of Adversity

Over the past week, trainer David Evans has sent out 10 runners with six returning as winners, including all four of his starters on Friday evening. Though the impressive climb of the Wokingham S. winner Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) may have grabbed plenty of headlines, one of his stable-mates who is equally deserving of plenty of attention is the juvenile filly Choux (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).

On the face of it, her story looks pretty straightforward. Choux was clearly so fancied by some on debut that she was the subject to the biggest betting plunge of the season when leaving the paddock at Thirsk as a 40/1 shot and being backed in to 10/3 by the time the stalls opened. She duly obliged on the soft ground that day and went straight to Royal Ascot for the G2 Queen Mary S.

Good to firm ground both there and at Newmarket for the Listed Empress Fillies' S. was not to her liking, but back on very soft turf at Deauville on Sunday, Choux struck with her first black-type victory in the listed Prix Yacowlef.

Her life hasn't always been plain-sailing though, as Choux's co-breeder Mairead O'Grady explains. “We sold her as a foal for €23,000 and then they sent us a video of her windsucking. She was a bit of a surprise boomerang as we certainly hadn't witnessed it at home.”

A Kildare-based vet who specialises in cattle, O'Grady owns broodmares in partnership with fellow vet Adrian McMullan, who owns a mixed veterinary practice in Northern Ireland.

She adds, “It was not what we expected and it was certainly a bit of an ordeal to get her back from the UK. But so bet it: it happens and you just have to take it on the chin and move on, and that's what we did. The yearling sales weren't an option and we chatted to a few people about the breeze-up sales, but in the end Richard Kent was fantastic and he introduced us to Dave and Emma Evans.”

The breeders bought Choux's dam Puff Pastry (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) from Philippa Cooper's Normandie Stud at the December Sale of 2016 for 21,000gns. Now 13, Puff Pastry is a daughter of Soft Centre (GB) (Zafonic), whose half-sister French Dressing (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is the dam of this season's G3 Hampton Court S. winner Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). 

O'Grady says, “We really wanted to give the mare a chance and we thought to ourselves 'what do we do with an Exceed And Excel yearling standing in the field?'” 

They turned to their neighbour Jeremy Maxwell, breeder of Grand National winner Rhyme 'N' Reason (GB), for help in the early stages of the filly's pre-training.

“Jeremy  broke her for us because he's local to where the horses are in County Down. He got her started and then Ross Crawford, who wouldn't normally take in a lot of Flat horses, got her riding,” she continues. “I wanted her to go in to Dave's yard knowing everything she had to do, and all they had to do was teach her to run faster. Dave worked away with her and managed to find a buyer for us privately. He and Emma have both been fantastic, and so has Richard, who is a gentleman and has been a huge help and support. For Choux even to become a winner was a great success in itself, but for her to become a listed winner on Sunday was just beyond our expectations altogether.”

The duo sold Puff Pastry's current yearling, a daughter of Ribchester (Ire) at last year's foal sale through Richard Kent's Mickley Stud for 18,000gns, but they now have a wait for the next offspring following yet another reversal.

“Two days before Choux came out at Thirsk we lost Puff's Sioux Nation foal at the foaling,” O'Grady explains. “So that was unfortunate but thankfully the mare was okay. Because she was late we were already going to give her a year off so that's what we've done. She's in great form and is out in the field looking fantastic but sadly we have two years with nothing to sell from her.”

She continues, “It's a family which has had quite a lot of nice fillies which means there are a lot of nice broodmares on the page and a lot of good things are happening. It's great for us to be able to contribute a little bit of black-type to that page now, especially when it didn't come easy. It was a tortuous journey to bounce back from a voided sale to get a listed win in Deauville on Sunday.”

O'Grady and McMullan have three mares “for a bit of fun”, with the other two both being in foal this year.

She says, “Adrian and I worked together in a veterinary practice in the north for a couple of years and that's where I kind of got introduced to horses. It's a hobby and up to now it's paid for itself. It's never made anyone hugely rich but it's fantastic and we do it all ourselves. It teaches you an awful lot.”

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Oxted to Be Examined After July Cup Third

Two-time Group 1 winner and Saturday's G1 Darley July Cup third Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}) will undergo a thorough examination by a veterinarian prior to racing again, according to trainer Roger Teal. Last year's July Cup hero, who also bagged the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot on June 15, veered right across the course during the running of the Newmarket sprint on Saturday.

“He seems absolutely fine, but we're going to have him checked out because we don't know why he hung across the track,” said Teal. “We'll have the vet look at him and see if there's anything untoward. He's never hung across the track like that before, so we'll monitor him over the next few days and see if anything comes to light.”

The Sept. 4 G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock is a possible next port of call for the two-time Group 1 winner, all being well after the veterinary exams.

“We're sort of running out of options now, so the Sprint Cup at Haydock would be his next target if all is well,” added Teal.

Another July Cup also-ran, the dual group winner Rohaan (Ire) (Mayson {GB}), could take his chances in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. The 3-year-old gelding ran 10th in the July Cup after a trio of wins including the Wokingham S. at the Royal meeting.

“He could go for the Maurice de Gheest,” said trainer David Evans. “There might not be so many runners and not as good a field as in the July Cup. That was probably the best sprint race of the season.”

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