James Horton to Relocate to Newmarket

After parting ways with owner John Dance, conditioner James Horton will return to Newmarket to begin training next term on his own. When leading chaser Bravemansgame (Fr) (Brave Mansonnien {Fr})–co-owned by Dance–was barred from running in the Aintree Grand National meeting early this year, the horse was later allowed to continue his career when Bryan Drew took sole ownership. Dance's other horses, most with Horton, were cleared to run, though under different names, in May but with the announcement Monday of “further concerns coming to light”, another interim stop had been put on the runners.

“In light of the ongoing uncertainty for James Horton and his team, he is to part ways with owners John and Jess Dance in North Yorkshire and relocate to Newmarket to train independently from there next season,” per an issued statement. “He is very grateful for the opportunities which have been given, where he has trained some wonderful horses and looks forward to the future ahead.”

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Seven Days: Perfect News For Haggas

Few, if any, trainers have been in more consistent form this season than William Haggas, who now finds himself atop the table in Britain, with a strike-rate of 27% for the season. His earnings of £4,611,340 at the time of writing place him narrowly ahead of reigning champion Charlie Appleby.

Top of the Somerville Lodge list of horses, and the earner of roughly a third of the yard's prize-money this year, is of course arguably the best horse in the world, Baaeed (GB), around whom continues to swirl uncertainty as to where we will see him next. What we now know with some certainty is that he will appear only once more on the racecourse, but whether that will be at Ascot or ParisLongchamp seems largely dependent on how soft the ground becomes in October following a drought-ridden summer.

The Haggas stable is no one-trick pony, however. Star of the show Baaeed is backed by a supporting cast which includes G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Alenquer (Fr), the Group 2 and 3 winners Sea La Rosa (Ire), Maljoom (Ire), Purlepay (Fr), Lilac Road (Ire), My Prospero (Ire), Ilarab (Ire), Bashkirova (GB), and the Haggas family homebred, Hamish (GB). A particularly pleasing result for the team would have been the victory nine days ago of Perfect News (GB) in the G3 Ballyogan S., a first at group level for the daughter of Frankel (GB) and the former Haggas-trained G2 Lowther S. winner Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who died earlier this year at the age of just nine.

The championship is far from over, with some of the most valuable races of the season still to be run during an action-packed autumn. Haggas will doubtless be guided not just by weather forecasts but by Baaeed's owner Sheikha Hissa when it comes to deciding on the colt's swansong. While the Arc is the more valuable race overall, the near £750,000 on offer for the winner of the QIPCO British Champion S. could potentially make the difference for Haggas to gain his own championship for the first time.

The relentless winner-producing machine that is Mark Johnston reached a new milestone in the last week when passing the 5,000 mark. Technically speaking, the Johnston counter was reset to zero on New Year's Day 2022 when the trainer brought son Charlie on board as co-trainer, but only a pedant could insist that Johnston senior, one of racing's most successful participants and clearest thinkers, could be denied a continuing tally. 

Donny Dances to the Tune

I was strolling on a quiet Scottish beach last week while my colleague Brian Sheerin did the hard yards at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. The Highland idyll was interrupted every now and then to check on proceedings at Doncaster, where the words 'frenetic' and 'hunger' appeared to be being bandied around with frequency. Indeed, the final results testified to the strength in demand across the board that is extremely welcome at a yearling sale pitched at a more everyday level than the elite boutiques of Arqana August, Goffs Orby or Tattersalls October Book 1.

There had been pre-sale angst in some quarters that the relatively new Tattersalls Somerville Sale had been taking some of the Premier Sale's ground but that appears to have been unfounded, and Donny did as Donny does, only better again than last year. A rise in the number of six-figure lots and strong clearance rate pulled the rest of the sale up by its bootstraps to deliver what appears to be a satisfying set of figures.

The results from next Tuesday's Somerville Sale will be indicative as to whether this level of demand is set to continue as the season wears on. Considering racing's myriad problems, particularly in Britain, it is heartening, and perhaps somewhat mystifying, that this bullish market for horses continues not just at the very top level but on lower tiers as well. Yes, to a degree, there will be people buying with a close eye on the overseas resale market, and that includes the bold breeze-up pinhookers. But a scroll through the results shows that there remains a huge range of trainers waving their catalogues to start the annual restocking of their yards, which is an encouraging sign.

John and Jess Dance's Manor House Farm was the second-leading buyer at the sale which must remain a favourite to them, having purchased the mighty Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) at Doncaster six years ago. The Dances can also take encouragement from the excellent start made at Manor House by their resident trainer James Horton, who now has 12 wins to his name and sent out his first stakes winner at the weekend when Sam Maximus (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) won the Listed Hopeful S. at Newmarket. The 3-year-old was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud, which continues to enjoy an excellent year courtesy of its graduates. 

The sales caravan rolls on next to the somewhat depleted Osarus Yearling Sale at La Teste de Buch on Tuesday, with much livelier fare likely to emanate from Germany's main event, the BBAG Yearling Sale, on Friday. I've been lured back from the beach for a return to the glorious spa town of Baden-Baden later this week. Go figure. 

Buick Forges On

There are few nicer people to bump into for a quick chat at the sales than Walter Buick and his son Martin, who now works with agent Hubie de Burgh having completed a stint with the Niarchos family. Walter, a former multiple champion jockey in Scandinavia, is a regular buyer for a number of his contacts in that part of the world and can count this year's Swedish Derby and Norwegian Derby winner Hard One To Please (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) among his recent purchases. 

The greatest result of the season for the Buick family, however, will be if William, the eldest of Walter's three sons, is crowned champion jockey at Ascot in October, and it is a scenario that becomes more likely by the day.

After an extraordinary week, particularly at Goodwood, where he won all three group races on Saturday and eight of his 12 rides there across the weekend, William added another 13 wins to his name and is now 43 clear in the championship (though only nine wins ahead of Hollie Doyle for the year as a whole). 

Tempus Fugit

While William Buick was hogging the Goodwood group action, his nearest pursuer for the title of champion jockey, Hollie Doyle, added yet another black-type victory to her increasingly impressive record at Deauville on Tempus (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who has now won back-to-back Group 3 races for Archie Watson and the Hambleton Racing syndicate.

Tempus was already a four-time winner with a rating of 97 for Roger Charlton and Juddmonte when he came up for sale exactly a year ago, and it now seems scarcely believable that the half-brother to Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was bought for just 25,000gns. But by the time he popped up in the Tattersalls August Sale he had missed all of the 2021 season with what Juddmonte's useful and typically fulsome sales notes described as “sub condyle bone bruising in his left fore and left hind cannon bones” and which noted that Tempus had “exhibited a high level of form but is delicate”.

So, caveat emptor and all that, but in this case the outlay of 25,000gns was a risk worth taking because Tempus really is now flying. Making his first start for more than a year, and since being gelded, the 6-year-old won at Newcastle on January 2 and, with another five starts and a ratings rise to 103, he struck again at Ascot on July 23. Following that latest handicap success his two subsequent runs–and wins–have been in the G3 Sovereign S. at Salisbury, followed by Sunday's G3 Prix de Quincey. What next for the son of Group 1 winner Passage Of Time (GB)?

And talking of time flying, Deauville's August meeting has passed in what seems like the blink of an eye, and it has been a fruitful one for the Andre Fabre-trained Botanik (GB), who won the G3 Prix de Reux followed by Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville. With seven wins under his belt he thus becomes the top performer for his sire Golden Horn (GB). The Derby and Arc winner of 2015 recently moved from Dalham Hall Stud to Overbury Stud and has been represented in the past fortnight by the Ebor winner Trawlerman (GB) and Juddmonte's Listed Galtres S. winner Haskoy (GB), who appears to be heading next to the G2 Park Hill S. at Doncaster. 

Classic Potential?

If you saddle a horse with the name Classic, you'd have to be pretty sure he was worthy of such a portentous moniker. In the case of the 2-year-old Classic (GB), a winner at Newmarket for Richard Hannon on Friday, he had justifiable claims to a proper name just on paper, for the colt is a son of Dubawi (Ire) out of the stakes-placed Date With Destiny (Ire), the only offspring of the subfertile and ill-fated superstar George Washington (Ire).

Date With Destiny raced in the colours of Julie Wood, who now owns her son Classic. She has already produced the Group 3 winner Beautiful Morning (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and Classic could yet surpass his elder sister as he has some pretty fancy entries in the coming months. 

“He still has signs of immaturity there but he is a very talented horse,” said Hannon of the colt, who was making his third start on Friday. “It wouldn't surprise me if we see him turn up at the top level, especially on soft ground. We will speak to Julie but she is never afraid of taking on these big races. I'd say there is a fair chance we go to the Champagne at Doncaster next.”

The Group 2 on September 10 is certainly a race in which the trainer has enjoyed plenty of success, having won three of the last eight runnings of the Champagne S.

Date With Destiny, who is now 14, remains in the Newsells Park Stud broodmare band and will be represented at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by her colt from the first crop of another Newsells Park graduate, the Arc winner Waldgeist (GB).

Secretariat's Silks For Sale

With the yearling sales in full flow, there is of course no guarantee that any of us will ever find a horse as good as Secretariat, but next Tuesday there is (bizarrely) a chance to bid for the right to register the famous colours carried by Penny Chenery's Triple Crown winner.

Officially described as 'royal blue and white check, striped sleeves, royal blue cap', the set of colours formerly worn by the champion lovingly known as 'Big Red' is one of six to be offered for auction by the BHA during Sotheby's sporting memorabilia sale on September 6. The sextet of cherished colours also includes the distinctive set of aquamarine jacket and black cap and, according to the BHA's notes, the auction “presents the opportunity to purchase a unique set of silks that are not available to own through any alternative avenue”. 

The guide price for Secretariat's silks is £5,000-£10,000. Then all you have to do is find a horse to wear them who moves like a tremendous machine. 

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Horton Planning First Royal Ascot Raid

James Horton, who made a dazzling start to his training career with a treble at Redcar on Easter Monday, is now focusing his attention on saddling his first runners at Royal Ascot.

A former assistant to Sir Michael Stoute in Newmarket, Horton is now training at John and Jess Dance's Manor House Farm stables in Middleham. He plans to run Sunday's York sprint winner Asjad (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) at the Royal meeting as well as  the G2 July S. third Sam Maximus (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).

“The Wokingham is the plan next,” said Horton of 4-year-old Asjad, who was bought from Shadwell at the Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale and has won two of his three starts since joining his stable. 

“I think Ascot will suit him, I think he wants a level track. I probably shouldn't have run him at Newmarket, he hated the track and I probably brought him back a bit quick after Redcar. So he'll have a nice bit of time now between York and the Wokingham and that will be plan A.”

The G1 Commonwealth Cup is on the cards for Sam Maximus, who has made just one start for Horton, finishing third in the Listed Carnarvon S. on May 14 at Newbury after being group-placed at two for Tom Dascombe. 

“He was only just up to a race when we ran him, he kind of needed a race to bring him forwards,” said Horton, who has now saddled seven winners from his 25 runners to date.

“I thought he ran really well and he just got tired in the last half-furlong, he had a real good blow and I think he should step forward from that.

“He's in the Commonwealth Cup and the two that finished in front of him at Newbury will probably run in it. They were match-fit and we went there half expecting to blow up, so I'd like to think he could get closer to them with another effort and the plan is to run him at Ascot and go from there.”

He added, “The programme for 3-year-old sprinters kind of maps itself out. We'll then see if he can mix it with the best sprinters or maybe have to go back and find a little Listed race somewhere.”

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Seven Days: Advance Appleby Fair

As statements of intent go, the results for Charlie Appleby's stable over recent weeks speak loudly as to his determination to retain the trainers' championship in 2022.

Twenty-three runners have emerged from Moulton Paddocks in the last fortnight, and 13 of them have returned home as winners, most importantly Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), the champion 2-year-old in Europe last year whose triumph return in the G3 Craven S. got the season off on a proper footing.

Of that baker's dozen, four were by the trainer's reliable old friend Dubawi (Ire), whose name must feature more than any other on doorcards around Moulton Paddocks. Appleby does seemingly have a new best friend, though, in Frankel (GB). The Juddmonte star played a hugely important role in helping the trainer to his first championship, just as he sealed his own first sires' championship with Godolphin's Derby-winning duo of Adayar (Ire) and Hurricane Lane (Ire) in the vanguard. 

Frankel's offspring are appearing increasingly frequently in the royal blue silks, with his daughter Wild Beauty having won the G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury, where the colt Natural World–bred on the same Frankel-Dubawi cross as Adayar–impressed on debut. In Tuesday's Cazoo Blue Riband Trial at Epsom, Appleby will saddle another son of Frankel, Nahanni (GB), the easy winner of a 1m4f novice contest at Leicester earlier this month.

As we await the return of Adayar in the Coronation Cup and Hurricane Lane in the Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot, in the wings Appleby has another 10 Frankel juveniles listed in training, including Adayar's full-brother named Military Order (Ire).

Those few people on course in the early morning last Wednesday witnessed the racecourse gallop of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who swerved the Greenham S., with his trainer's reasoning being that he wanted to remain at Newmarket with the colt who has won on each of the town's two courses but has never run elsewhere. The guessing game now begins as to whether Coroebus might be able to overhaul his stable-mate Native Trail in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas after the latter became the third Craven S. winner for Appleby in the last four runnings of the race, following Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Breezing Into Contention

One young racegoer who was perhaps as thrilled as Charlie Appleby to see Native Trail return in such fine style was Josh Williamson, the son of Norman and Janet Williamson who sold the unbeaten colt through their Oak Tree Farm draft at the 2021 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale a year to the day before his victory in the Craven itself.

The 15-year-old schoolboy certainly has the pedigree to be a decent rider, and indeed he was entrusted to be aboard Native Trail for much of his work leading up to the sale. It was touching to see Josh's input into the horse's early career acknowledged by Appleby as he strode into the winner's enclosure and immediately went over to shake his hand and congratulate him. 

We're betwixt breeze-up sales at the moment, with the Craven completed last week, and the horses for the Goffs UK Sale on Thursday set to breeze at Doncaster on Tuesday. That sector of the market could hardly have had a better advertisement than the results on course over the last week. 

Not only did Native Trail fly the flag, but so too did Highclere Racing's G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), as well as the G3 Greenham S. winner Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), who was bred, like the runner-up Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), by the seemingly unstoppable force that is Tally-Ho Stud. These followed the previous week's G3 Prix Imprudence victory of Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), another Tally-Ho-bred breezer who appears to be on course for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. 

Yet another Tally-Ho star graduate kept the ball rolling over the weekend when the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) returned for her 4-year-old debut at Keeneland with a classy win in the Listed Giant's Causeway S. Once again, trainer Wesley Ward looks to have been dealt a strong hand for his annual Royal Ascot challenge, with Campanelle being pointed towards the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. and the free-running speedball Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) heading to the G1 King's Stand S.–and that's before we consider Ward's juvenile contenders. 

Trainers In Form

It should be noted that there are currently two Applebys in the top four in the British trainers' ranks, the other being Michael Appleby, no relation to Charlie and narrowly ahead of him following another excellent winter campaign which saw him crowned champion all-weather trainer for the fourth year in a row. Based in Leicestershire, Michael Appleby's stable may not feature as many bluebloods as some of his rivals in the table, but over the last decade it has become an operation which should be taken very seriously indeed, with Michael surpassing the 100-winner mark for the first time in 2021. Expect more of the same this time around. 

Another trainer to have enjoyed a good week was Roger Varian, whose statuesque  Eydon (GB) was a rare winner for the veteran Olden Times (GB) in the Listed Feilden S. at Newmarket.  Having broken his maiden in some style on his third start, Eydon, whose name is taken from Eydon Hall Farm where he was born and raised, has the Classics on his agenda.

“I did worry when we named him that it could be a disaster,” said Prince Faisal's racing and bloodstock manager Ted Voute with a grin after the colt romped to a comfortable victory at Newmarket. 

Olden Times, now 24 and the winner of the G1 Prix Jean Prat for the owner/breeder, has had several homes during his stud career but has been at Throckmorton Court Stud for the last five years, where he is essentially used as a private stallion by the prince. 

Voute added, “We bred a mare to him the other day. We're sending him two mares this year and hoping for fillies.”

Varian was also represented at the Craven meeting by the Godolphin-bred maiden winner Ameynah (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who holds a 1000 Guineas entry, while last season's G2 Champagne S. winner Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) will head straight to either Newmarket or ParisLongchamp for a Classic attempt without taking in a trial.

Ameynah wasn't the smartest daughter of Exceed And Excel on the Rowley Mile last week, however, as the Chris Wall-trained Double Or Bubble (Ire) took the G3 Abernant S. for owner/breeder Salah Fustok of Deerfield Farm. Lightly-raced for a 5-year-old, Double Or Bubble has done little wrong during her 11 starts, only ever finishing out of the first two twice, and winning five times, including last year's Listed Flying Fillies' S at Pontefract. 

Wall, one of the most under-rated trainers in Newmarket who also trained this mare's full-sister, the G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. winner Mix And Mingle (Ire), outlined that after an “old school” winter being turned out back at Deerfield, Double Or Bubble has both strengthened and quickened. He is considering the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. for the mare's next start.

My Oh My

My Titania (Ire) already owns a footnote in history as the first stakes winner for her illustrious sire Sea The Stars (Ire) back in 2013, and as a broodmare she has had a fruitful week thanks to her first three foals, all of whom are trained by William Haggas for the Tsui family.

The first off the production line, 5-year-old My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), won the All-Weather Mile Championships at Newcastle on Good Friday having finished a respectable sixth in a competitive running of the G1 Dubai Turf on March 26. The mare's 3-year-old, My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), was a winner at the second time of asking in a Newbury maiden on Saturday and could head next for the Listed Heron S. at Sandown in May.

Meanwhile, 4-year-old My Astra (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) picked up another slice of black type when third in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. at Kempton. A lateish starter during July of last year, she won her first two races before finishing runner-up in the Listed Prix Solitude. There's surely more to come from this lightly-raced filly, who holds a G2 Dahlia S. entry on Guineas weekend.

Hit And Mist For Kildaragh 

Also featuring prominently among the results of the last seven days is the Kavanagh family's Kildaragh Stud, most notably as the breeder of the winner of the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S., Roman Mist (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The 4-year-old provided her young trainer Tom Ward with his first stakes victory when winning in the colours of Hot To Trot Racing. 

Last Thursday, a brace of Kildaragh Stud graduates, both 3-year-olds by Churchill (Ire), returned to winner's enclosures of Newmarket and Ripon respectively. Tuscan (Ire), who struck last year at Thirsk for John and Jess Dance, took the British EBF Conditions S. for Charlie Hills, and this was followed less than an hour later by victory for the Richard-Fahey-trained Blenheim Boy (Ire) in the Cock o' the North H.

Meanwhile Roderick Kavanagh, son of Kildaragh owners Peter and Antoinette, had a successful week with his Glending Stables draft at the Craven Breeze-up Sale, selling all four horses for an average of 87,500gns.

Horton Won't Hear A Who

The well-liked James Horton left his position as Sir Michael Stoute's long-term assistant last year to start training in his own right for John and Jess Dance at Manor House Farm in Middleham, the birthplace of the Derby winner Dante. And on Monday, Horton ensured that his name will soon be widely known by announcing his presence on British racing's stage with his first three winners all on the same afternoon at Redcar. 

The first came in the opening race, a novice event won by Phantom Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), who had finished runner-up on debut on March 25 as the trainer's first runner. Horton was back for more in the fourth and fifth races on the card, winning with Il Bandito (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Asjad (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). He also came close to securing a four-timer when Ghost Rider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) finished second by half a length at Wolverhampton. 

On a day to remember for the trainer and owners, John Dance also announced on Twitter on Monday that his superstar mare Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) produced her second foal, a filly by Kingman (GB), overnight. 

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