Doyle to Become First Retained Rider for Wathnan Racing

Leading flat jockey James Doyle is set to become the first retained rider for Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing beginning in January, the organisation announced on Monday. The 35-year-old had been riding as second jockey for Godolphin since January 2015 and will join Wathnan when his contract expires at the end of this year.

“It is a tremendous honour for me to sign for Wathnan,” Doyle said. “It's an amazing opportunity for me going forward with His Highness Sheikh Tamim's Wathnan Racing and I'm greatly looking forward to working with Olly Tait, Richard Brown and the rest of the team.

“I want to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Charlie Appleby and everyone at Godolphin for the unstinting support they've given me over the last nine years. It's been a wonderful time and I have enjoyed literally every moment. But this is an incredible new venture and I can't wait to get started in January.”

Doyle is a multiple Group 1-winning jockey having partnered with notable runners Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) over his career so far.

“James has been a key member of our team for his whole time with us and, whilst we will miss him greatly, he is leaving very much with our blessing and we wish him all the very best with this exciting new chapter in his riding career,” Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby said.

Wathnan Racing's Adviser Olly Tait added: “Wathnan is delighted to have retained the services of James Doyle. He is a fantastic rider and an incredible addition to the team. We are all looking forward to working closely with James in the coming years.”

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Holding Out For a Hero

ASCOT, UK–Even before the action was underway on Gold Cup day, there appeared to be entertainment aplenty for the King and Queen. Sir Mark Prescott had managed to book the royal version of speedy boarding and was positioned in the first carriage with their majesties for the royal procession. This may well have been a strategic move from them in the middle of a week which requires plenty of stamina, with two processions still to come. It's a long ride by horse-drawn carriage from Windsor Great Park to Ascot Racecourse and who better to entertain the royal party than racing's finest raconteur, who also shares the King and Queen's love of hunting? Indeed, as the carriages came into view on the big screen it certainly appeared to be Sir Mark that was holding court, much to the obvious enjoyment of his carriage companions.

William Haggas had been in the royal procession on Wednesday and he put his name back on the invitation list for next year by becoming the first trainer to provide the King and Queen with a winner at Royal Ascot in the King George V S., named after the present monarch's great grandfather.

Bred by the late Queen, Desert Hero (GB) hails from a family which has been well represented at the royal meeting in recent years. His dam Desert Breeze (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a full-sister to the G2 Hardwicke S. winner Dartmouth (GB), who appeared at Royal Ascot in three consecutive years, and both siblings were gifted to the Queen by their breeder Sheikh Mohammed. 

The 'new Ascot', as old-timers still like to call it, can feel a little devoid of atmosphere on occasion, even on the big occasion, but not so for a royal winner. Every step, every balcony and every tier was stuffed with racegoers cheering in Desert Hero and Tom Marquand, as the King and Queen, accompanied by the Princess Royal and her daughter Zara Tindall, arrived in the winner's enclosure.

“This is what it's all about for us, and when you are given the privilege of training some horses for the late Queen and The King and Queen, it's an honour,” said Haggas.

“They have been looking forward to Royal Ascot for a long time and they hoped to have as many runners as possible. I think they will be absolutely delighted. It's very important for horseracing, but it's also important that the King and Queen enjoy it, which they clearly appear to do. Long may that continue.”

It didn't take long, however, for the King to have his thunder stolen by the upstager-in-chief, Lanfranco Dettori. With the quality of horses on offer from Wathnan Racing, the breakthrough owners on the scene who have made quite a splash this week, Dettori will certainly be enjoying this new, albeit brief, association.

Wathnan Racing is the operational name for the horses owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose brother Sheikh Joaan is already a familiar face on the international racing scene as the principal of Al Shaqab Racing and owner of Haras de Bouquetot.

First, Gregory (GB) gave the team the Queen's Vase, only for Courage Mon Ami (GB) to plunder an even bigger prize 24 hours later after an epic stretch battle with the plucky Coltrane (Ire) in the Gold Cup. What these hugely exciting emerging stayers have in common, as well as being trained by John and Thady Gosden, is that their Royal Ascot victories were both their first runs in the colours of Wathnan Racing. 

Courage Mon Ami was bred and raced until recently by Anthony Oppenheimer of Hascombe and Valiant Studs, who was also the breeder of Gregory's sire Golden Horn (GB). Gregory represents Philippa Cooper's Normandie Stud and a family which has been replete with quality stayers over the years. While the latter has the target of the St Leger, the four-year-old Courage Mon Ami, similarly unbeaten, has announced his presence at the top of the staying division having arrived in the Gold Cup straight from a Goodwood handicap. This he won a day after Gregory landed the Cocked Hat Stakes at the same course.

“It's a wonderful day for Hascombe and Valiant,” said Oppenheimer as he congratulated the horse's new connections by the winner's circle.

“We're very pleased. We've got plenty of the family. We very nearly retired him before he ran because he was so big, but he had those two fantastic races last year when he won by about ten lengths.”

As Oppenheimer watched the presentation, made by the King to Courage Mon Ami's new owners, he was joined by Jayne McGivern, who now owns Golden Horn, having bought him last year to stand at Overbury Stud, where he has covered 184 mares this season.

“Your horse is doing very well!” Oppenheimer said to McGivern with a grin. “I'm very pleased with Golden Horn, he's doing much better than ever before. I have a couple of really nice horses by him coming up.”

While Courage Mon Ami's victory means that the extraordinary Frankel (GB) has been represented by a Group 1 winner on every day of Royal Ascot so far, from a mile to two and a half miles, it cannot be overlooked that Oppenheimer has enjoyed great success in the past with another of his sons, Cracksman (GB). Now a Darley second-season stallion, Cracksman is responsible for one of the most exciting three-year-old colts of the season in the Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact (Fr).

Olly Tait of Australia's Twin Hills Stud and his old friend Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock have been charged with the advising and buying duties for the Qatari-based Wathnan Racing, and both have passed with flying colours in delivering on their brief.

“I was asked to buy some proper horses who could go to the big meetings and compete in the big races, and this is as big as it gets,” said Brown. “Olly is the advisor for Wathnan Racing, which was the leading stable in Qatar over the winter. He approached me and said that they were interested in buying a few horses. I obviously jumped at the opportunity. I've know Olly for 25 years. We actually lived next to each other in Newmarket when we first there in about 1998. The opportunity to work with him was extraordinary. We haven't bought very many, we've been very selective, but there are a couple more to come out.”

There is just one part of the brief that Tait and Brown may struggle to adhere to if the current level of success continues. 

Brown added, “The owners want to be under the radar slightly, though I think the last two days has just blown that apart, but they are private people. It was just a case of getting started with a few horses and this has been a dream start.”

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‘There’s An Opportunity In Every Horse And That’s How The Industry Exists’

   Few people left an imprint at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale quite like Olly Tait. Under the banner of the newly-formed and Qatari-backed Wathnan Racing, Tait signed for nine horses to the tune of 1.75 million gns, headed by 450,000gns purchase Persian Royal (GB) (Al Kazeem {GB}).

   Fitting that Tait has been tasked with growing Wathnan Racing into a formidable ownership vehicle in Qatar as it was the Australian native who was entrusted by Godolphin to get their Darley operation off the ground down under back in 2001.

   Despite only being in his mid-20s at the time, Tait laid the foundations of the hugely successful Darley Australia arm that continues to flourish to this day. 

   It was in 2016 that Tait decided to take his experience working for Darley and set up Twin Hills Stud in Australia. With stallions like Smart Missile (Aus), Peltzer (Aus), Hallowed Crown (Aus), Denman (Aus) and Odyssey Moon (Aus) on the Twin Hills roster, the farm has become one of the most prominent studs in Australia in a relatively short period. 

   Tait has described the challenge of building Wathnan Racing into a force to be reckoned with in the Gulf as something that excites him and, despite playing in a vibrant market at Tattersalls last week, says he is delighted with the additions to the team in this week's Q&A. 

Brian Sheerin: You picked up a good variety of horses at Tattersalls last week on behalf of Wathnan Racing. What was the modus operandi heading into that sale?

Olly Tait: There's a wide-ranging programme of racing in Qatar so, obviously, we were keen to buy horses who can win in the colours of Wathnan Racing this season and beyond. We got some horses at the higher end as we're hoping to find a horse capable of winning the Qatar Derby. Equally, there are a lot of nice handicaps to be won in Qatar, so we bought horses at all levels in order to make the stable successful. That's not just having horses who can run in the big races, it's buying horses who can win at all different levels. 

BS: Tell us more about Wathnan Racing and how your relationship has developed. 

OT: Wathnan Racing is a stable in Qatar and my connection to that is through Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, who I have known for quite a while. He is now heading up that stable in Qatar and contacted me a few months ago asking if I would give him a hand.

BS: And what does the programme for these horses look like in Qatar? In short, what kind of horses are you seeking out and what are the profiles that you think will do well out there?

OT: There is Arabian and thoroughbred racing in Qatar at present but there is a wide-ranging programme there for racehorses over a variety of different trips from October through to March. There are a lot of races to be run and won in that time. As I said, we're looking for horses at every level and over a variety of different distances, not just targeting the Derby, which is run over a mile-and-a-quarter. 

BS: Obviously you were very busy recruiting to the stable last week but have you aspirations to recruit horses for Wathnan Racing privately as well?

OT: We'll wait and see. While the selection of horses on offer at Tattersalls was fantastic, we're not beholden to that and it's something we could do.

BS: There were a few jaw-dropping moments during last week's sale and the trade was in keeping with the high demand shown for yearlings during the autumn. What was it like playing in such a vibrant market?

OT: As I have always said, horses are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. The motivation behind buying a horse, in general, is not just a financial return. Horses give people a lot of pleasure and you could see that at the horses-in-training sale with the horses there going to all different parts of the world. That's testimony to the quality of horses that they were but also the fact that there's a really healthy appetite for horses across the globe which is fantastic to see. It's fantastic that so many people want to buy racehorses and there's an opportunity in every horse and that's how the industry exists. That was plain to see at Tattersalls last week. 

BS: We all know about your time at Darley and more recently Twin Hills but this is something completely different. On a personal level, how exciting has it been getting a racing operation off the ground as opposed to a stud farm?

OT: On a personal level, it's a very interesting project for me to be involved in. I've got a good relationship with Mr Al-Hajri so it's nice to be able to help him where I can. 

BS: And for those who may not be aware, tell us about your time at Darley. I found it interesting that you spent a few years working with the accountancy firm KPMG before writing to Darley and looking for a break in the bloodstock industry. 

OT: I grew up with an interest in horses which came from my parents and grandparents who owned horses. They were involved in the agriculture business, mainly sheep and cattle, and I was fortunate to get a job with Darley in my early 20s. Sheikh Mohammed was very ambitious and I was lucky to be a part of that during my time there. I had a great time working for Darley and am very thankful for the opportunities that I have had. When I moved on to Twin Hills, it came at a time where I thought that, if I was ever going to try something on my own, that was the time. Fortunately Twin Hills came on the market when it did. We have been here at Twin Hills for six years now and it's been very challenging but also very rewarding. We've been very lucky as it's been a buoyant market in Australia and right around the world. The racing industry in Australia is very healthy and I guess our timing has been good in that we have been a part of that. We have been selling horses on a commercial level, standing stallions and looking after people's bloodstock interests, to the extent that Twin Hills is now a reasonably sized operation. I've been exposed to lots of different things in the industry but I have been at it for quite a while now and it's been a career that I've thoroughly enjoyed. 

BS: You've clearly had some excellent mentors along the way.

OT: I have been very lucky. When I was working with Darley, I was exposed to amazing people in the industry and that's not just the people who would be perceived as being successful. I've met people at all different levels who have had an impact on me and continue to do so. 

BS: It's interesting that you were just 25 when entrusted to set up the Australian arm of the Darley operation. Angus Gold was also quite young when he got the Shadwell job. It just shows that, if you're good enough, you're old enough.

OT: I was lucky that the faith was put in me because that's not an easy decision to give a job like that to a person of that age. In the beginning, it wasn't a major operation; it was just me and another employee with a number of stallions. There was obviously always that chance that it was going to grow into something big, which it has and, hopefully I showed along the way that I was up to the task. It was just really enjoyable to be part of an operation that grew the way it did internationally. This is a global industry and there are opportunities internationally but there are not many operations that have an international presence and I was lucky to work for Darley and get those opportunities. I'll be forever thankful for that.

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Three Juddmonte Mares To Be Offered At Inglis Chairman’s Sale

Courtesy TDN AusNZ

Juddmonte will offer a trio of mares, two in foal to Frankel (GB) and the other in foal to Kingman (GB), at the Inglis Chairman's Sale on May 6.

Consigned by Olly Tait's Twin Hills Stud, the Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Escapement (GB), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Timepiece (GB) (Zamindar) and Passage Of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the latter the dam of breakout stallion Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), is carrying to Frankel, as is Lucid Dreamer (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Lucid Dreamer is closely related to G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The third mare is Ludisia (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who is a full-sister to Group 3 heroine Fair Eva (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and is a half-sister to the dam of the 2021 European Champion 2-Year-Old Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). She is in foal to Kingman.

Frankel boasts sparkling strike rates of 30% black-type performers to runners and a 13% group winners to runners in Australia. His Converge (GB) won the G1 Randwick Guineas, joining fellow Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winners for his sire in Hungry Heart (Aus) and Mirage Dancer (GB).

“The development of the Inglis Chairman's Sale over the past few years has been noteworthy, making it an obvious choice for Juddmonte to showcase a select group of mares from some of our most established families,” Juddmonte's UK Stud Director Simon Mockridge said. “The mares to be consigned under Olly Tait's Twin Hills banner represent a unique opportunity for the Australian market to appraise and invest into deep Juddmonte pedigrees honed over generations and carrying to two elite international sires.

“Over the years, Juddmonte families have enjoyed great success in Australia/New Zealand through the likes of Group 1 winners Makybe Diva, Mr Baritone, Leicester, Kings Will Dream, Royal Performer and Queen Supreme and these results have been further buoyed by the emergence of Frankel and Kingman as sires of significant importance to the market.”

“We are naturally delighted to be presenting these mares at the Inglis Chairman's Sale on behalf of Juddmonte,” said Tait. “The mares represent some of Juddmonte's finest families, that have been carefully developed over decades and they would be worthy of a place in any broodmare band in the world.”

“This is a significant coup for the Chairman's Sale and an unprecedented opportunity for Australasian breeders,” said Inglis Senior Bloodstock Consultant and European Representative, Harry Bailey.

“The Juddmonte breeding operation is arguably the best in the world, so to have the opportunity to offer for sale mares they have specifically identified and managed with the Australian market in mind is a real honour.

“The catalogue is coming together beautifully and with entries closing soon, I encourage anyone with a mare that they think suitable, to contact a member of our Bloodstock Team to discuss arrangements.”

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