Tag: Wathnan Racing

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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Gold Cup Glory For Frankel’s Courage Mon Ami And Frankie

Burying the unhappiness of his loss on Stradivarius at what turned out to be a controversial Royal Ascot 12 months ago, Frankie Dettori sealed immortality at the track that has done so much to elevate him with a heartstopping G1 Gold Cup victory on Wathnan Racing's Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Crimson Ribbon, by Lemon Drop Kid). Capping a day of days in the history of the distinguished meeting, what amounted to a brilliant piece of placing by the Gosdens saw the untried and raw 4-year-old defy all this great race's stats and trends. Thrown in at the deep end after a trio of wins on the all-weather and a Goodwood handicap by a cumulative margin of 13 3/4 lengths, the Oppenheimer-bred was up another six furlongs but his odds of 15-2 told the real story about the regard in which he is held at Clarehaven.

Always travelling strongly towards the rear as the 2021 hero Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) took the race by the scruff of the neck, he was threaded up the rail to overhaul the 11-4 favourite Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) inside the final furlong. Despite that veteran battling back, it was Royal winner number 79 and the ultimate sign-off for Dettori as he asserted to score by 3/4 of a length with Subjectivist fading to be 3 3/4 lengths behind in third. The win was the third Group 1 of the week for Frankel, with Juddmonte's kingpin seemingly assuming the mantle of the King of Royal Ascot.

“I thought it was a bridge too far from handicaps to Group 1, but I had the perfect trip,” Frankie said. “I didn't expect it. The last five years I've had Stradivarius, so the pressure was on. This one I thought was a bit of a chancer, but John was confident. It's unbelievable, on my last year winning the Gold Cup. Myself, The King and Queen Camilla had a talk beforehand about his win and my relationship with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, then the next race I go on and win the Gold Cup and he presents the trophy. It's amazing, really amazing.”

 

Just how steep the learning curve of Courage Mon Ami has been can be evidenced by his debut in September when carrying the Oppenheimer silks in a 12-furlong Kempton novice. Blowing the start and several lengths behind the rest of the field early, he was still able to produce a sustained effort to win comfortably and even though his final start as an entire colt in October saw him double up in more professional manner on Newcastle's Tapeta, it was not until his comeback at Goodwood last month that targeting this race seemed even remotely realistic.

Upsetting a host of proven group 1 performers going so far into the unknown trip-wise in one of the world's toughest races would normally be an insurmountable task for a horse of such little seasoning, but Courage Mon Ami has rare quality. Settled on the fence as Stradivarius was 12 months ago, he was able to coast through most of the first two miles but as the stable's three-time winner had been in the last two renewals was also a hostage to fortune as the action hotted up. Denied an out approaching the home turn, Frankie was forced back to the inner but unlike last year saw it all open up in front of him like a symbolic parting of the waves.

Unleashing a 11.93 split between the three and the two to enter the fight, Courage Mon Ami had to switch around Coltrane as that rival took over from the tiring Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) but by now the fledgling stayer's blood was up. Ahead at the furlong marker, the winner was the freshest horse for the finale where Frankie's innate poise was evident despite all the emotion and pressure of the moment.

“I wanted to swing out wide but Stéphane [Pasquier] kept me in and actually won me the race, because I cut the corner and it happened,” Frankie added. “I got the splits when I wanted to and in fairness he showed a turn of foot. He's still a baby, but when Coltrane came back he picked up again. John's a great trainer and he does things like that. Sometimes if I don't believe it I just go along with it! My kids shook hands with The King afterwards and are old enough to understand now. For the last 18 years, they've just thought I was a guy on the TV, maybe like Peppa Pig or something!”

Even by John Gosden's standards, this was a supreme piece of training and unlike anything in the history of the great race. “I don't think I'll try that again,” he quipped in reference to the winner's inexperience. “He's always looked smart, but as you can tell by the size of him he's taken plenty of time to mature. You can't practise two and a half miles at home, but Frankie stayed cool and rode him cool in the dark down the inside, saving every inch.”

“Courage Mon Ami is a lovely horse and has gone from the all-weather to Goodwood to here, so full credit to him,” Gosden Sr added. “You'd like to think he's still maturing now and can still improve. [Bloodstock agent] Richard Brown has done a very clever job, as he was asked to find horses to come to Royal Ascot for Wathnan Racing and they are hard to buy. Gregory and Courage Mon Ami were owner-breeder horses and the costs of keeping a stud going means owners have to sell.”

“It crowns Frankie's week,” he concluded. “He's had a phenomenal career. We've been working together on and off for thirty years and had one argument in that time. How many marriages can say that? We patched that up after five days and were winning group ones in Deauville straight after and kicked on after that. Look at the result today.”

Coltrane's rider Oisin Murphy said of the gallant runner-up, now officially one of Britain's leading stayers representing the vintage class of 2022 alone, “He relaxed great and travelled round super. I felt I could go and win the race. Frankie's come with me and it was a good battle and Frankie came out on top.”

Subjectivist was back to his best with a stirring effort which drew the sting from all bar two of his rivals and Charlie Johnston was understandably proud. “He's run a great race,” he said. “I was sort of expecting he would win or we would be out with the washing! It's been a long road and just being here is pretty special. Let's hope he's okay and we can go again.”

Pedigree Notes
Courage Mon Ami becomes the 31st group 1 winner for Frankel, whose presence at this year's Royal Ascot has confirmed his ever-elevating status. The dam Crimson Ribbon, who scored over a mile and a half, has also produced the Listed Chalice S. scorer and G3 Pinnacle S. runner-up Crimson Rosette (Ire), the Australian stakes winner and group 3-placed Astronomos (GB) and the listed-placed Purple Ribbon (GB) all by other sons of Galileo in Teofilo (Ire), New Approach (Ire) and Gleneagles (Ire) respectively.

Crimson Ribbon is a full-sister to Bronze Cannon, who captured the G2 Hardwicke S. at this meeting as well as the G2 Jockey Club S., and to the GIII My Charmer H. scorer Valiant Girl while her half-brother Across The Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was successful under Frankie in the 2016 G2 King Edward VII S. The listed-placed second dam Victoria Cross (Ire) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) is out of the G2 Park Hill S. runner-up Glowing With Pride (GB) (Ile de Bourbon), whose three other stakes performer are headed by the GII San Marco H. winner and GI Hollywood Turf Cup-placed Prize Giving (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}). Crimson Ribbon also has the stable's once-raced 3-year-old colt Lion's Pride (GB) (Roaring Lion), a 2-year-old filly by Frankel's son Cracksman (GB) named Danielle (GB) and a yearling filly by Golden Horn (GB).

Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
GOLD CUP-G1, £600,000, Ascot, 6-22, 4yo/up, 19f 210yT, 4:20.97, g/f.
1–COURAGE MON AMI (GB), 129, g, 4, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Crimson Ribbon, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Victoria Cross (Ire), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
3rd Dam: Glowing With Pride (GB), by Ile De Bourbon
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Wathnan Racing; B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £340,260. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $464,871. *1/2 to Crimson Rosette (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), SW & MGSP-Eng; Astronomos (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), SW & GSP-Aus, $220,908; and Purple Ribbon (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), SP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Coltrane (Ire), 130, g, 6, Mastercraftsman (Ire)–Promise Me (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (50,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Mick & Janice Mariscotti; B-Rockfield Farm (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £129,000.
3–Subjectivist (GB), 130, h, 6, Teofilo (Ire)–Reckoning (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (62,000gns Ylg '18 TAOCT). O-Dr Jim Walker; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Charlie Johnston. £64,560.
Margins: 3/4, 3 3/4, HD. Odds: 7.50, 2.75, 4.50.
Also Ran: Emily Dickinson (Ire), Nate The Great (GB), Yibir (GB), Eldar Eldarov (GB), Echoes In Rain (Fr), Lone Eagle (Ire), Broome (Ire), Big Call, Wise Eagle (Ire). Scratched: Tashkhan (Ire), Trueshan (Fr).

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‘It Couldn’t Be Better’: Living the American Dream at Ascot 

ASCOT, UK–There's plenty of red, white and blue draped about this most patriotic of race meetings, but the Union Jack had to give way for the Star-Spangled Banner during the early rounds of Royal Ascot's Wednesday fare. First Crimson Advocate blazed a trail in the G2 Queen Mary S., and even through she was all out at the line in an attempt to repel the fast-finishing Relief Rally (Ire), her nose was down where it mattered, providing the 27 owners who had travelled from America in support with a day they will never forget. 

The daughter of Nyquist has been well travelled in her short career, racing in Kentucky, Florida and now England in the last two months. From a debut third at Keeneland, she landed the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies' S. at Gulfstream Park, a win-and-you're-in qualifier for the royal meeting. 

Among the combined ownership group is Jake Ballis's Black Type Thoroughbreds, who bought into the George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate after her first start.

The Lexington-based syndicator said, “George really liked the filly on debut at Keeneland and I have a lot of horses with him. She ran third and George called me up after the race and said 'We've got to put some people together to buy this filly. She's very, very fast'. The people who owned her originally buy to race and then sell.”

He continued, “George said he was going to put her on the turf at Gulfstream and then we're going to Royal Ascot. When we bought into her, that was the dream, but plans in this sport don't always work out. This one did, and we brought all our friends and families here; it couldn't be better. I've brought two people here who have never owned a horse before and they're my good luck charm–they're two for two.”

Of the tight finish, in which his filly held on by a nose, Ballis added, “From my vantage view I had zero idea who had won and I just said 'Please one time just give me the photo', and then my phone started ringing.”

The Kensington Palace S. which followed the Queen Mary may not have carried black type but it was no less celebrated for myriad reasons. The Crager family, who own the 25/1 winner Villanova Queen (Ire), have horses in their native America with Graham Motion, but the daughter of Mastercraftsman (Ire) was a special Royal Ascot winner for Jessica Harrington in the joyful week that she was given the all-clear following recent treatment for cancer. It was also a first win at the meeting for Ireland's champion jockey Colin Keane.

“We have a few in training with Mrs Harrington in Ireland and a few with Roger Varian in England. We also keep a few mares at Baroda Stud,” said New York-based William Crager, whose father Bill, the CEO of Envestnet, missed out on their first Royal Ascot victory but is due to join the celebrations in England later this week.  

He continued, “We really love racing over here especially. We get treated so very well and this is just incredible. The Harringtons are incredible–they are so good at what they do. We felt hopeful about what the filly could come and do but I don't think we could have expected that. And Colin–what a ride! All in all, what an experience. We're very thankful.”

Joining the celebrations in the winner's circle was Ben McElroy, who is no stranger to success at Royal Ascot thanks to the dual winner Campanelle (Ire). The agent also bought Villanova Queen, for €60,000, at the Goffs Orby Sale and she has gone on to win twice in Ireland, as well as being Group 3-placed and finishing eighth in last year's Irish 1,000 Guineas. Bill Crager also tasted success at last year's July meeting at Newmarket with his first homebred Miss Carol Ann (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) but this was the family's first runner at Royal Ascot.

“We've gone in right on top but we're in for the long ride,” William Crager said. “Dad and Paul Hondros are flying over later in the week and we'll all be celebrating. 

“Ben bought this filly at Goffs; he's a phenomenal agent. [Eventually] She'll be back at Baroda and bred here [in Europe].”

There were plenty of first-time winners at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, one of those being Wathnan Racing, a name we will surely hear plenty more if their high-profile purchases continue apace. The G2 Queen's Vase winner Gregory (GB) was bought by Wathnan Racing, the leading owner in Qatar this season, after his victory in the Listed Cocked Hat S. for owner-breeder Philippa Cooper. Similarly, the group now owns Isaac Shelby (Ire), runner-up in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and fourth in the St James's Palace S., while on Thursday Wathnan Racing will be represented by Courage Mon Ami (GB) in the Gold Cup. If their colours look familiar it is because they are only a shade away from those made famous by Germany's Gestut Rottgen.

As Gregory was led in triumphant, Frankie Dettori aboard, the inevitable roar from the crowd turned to cries in some quarters of, “Jump, Frankie, jump.”

Jump he did. How could he not? As Dettori beamed from the rostrum he was joined by Thady Gosden as the latter's father John, co-trainer of two group winners on the day ,watched on from the sidelines. Two doors about to close, perhaps, as one is pushed open, strengthened by new foreign investors in British racing. 

https://twitter.com/Ascot/status/1671560821867171840?s=20

 

The Royal Ascot 'firsts' continued with George Weaver being joined on the trainers' roll of honour by Tom Clover, who saddled Rogue Millennium (GB) to win the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. for The Rogues Gallery syndicate.

The story of the Dubawi (Ire) filly was widely reported last year when she ran in the Oaks as she was bought by Billy Jackson-Stops for 35,000gns as an unraced two-year-old from her breeder Shadwell during that operation's reduction of stock.

Any lingering regrets that the Shadwell team may have had about 'one who got away' will soon have been erased by the barnstorming victory of Mostahdaf (Ire) in the day's feature, the G1 Prince of Wales's S. His half-sister Nazeef (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is already a dual Group 1 winner for the operation and now Shadwell has another enticing stallion prospect in the form of Mostahdaf, who has appeared at the royal meeting in each of the last three years and is bred on the same Frankel-Dubawi cross as Adayar (Ire), whom he beat into third, half a length behind the runner-up Luxembourg (Ire).

Sheikh Hamdan was the leading owner during what would transpire to be his final Royal Ascot in 2020. It is easy to imagine that he would be delighted to see the foundations he laid being built upon by his daughter Sheikha Hissa with many of the same trusted lieutenants at her side for wise counsel. 

Since Sheikh Hamdan's passing in March 2021, Shadwell has been represented by no fewer than six Group 1 winners in Baaeed (GB), Hukum (GB), Eshaada (GB), Minzaal (Ire), Anmaat (Ire), and now Mostahdaf: four homebred, and two bred by the remarkable team at Ringfort Stud. That those results have been provided by four different trainers spreads the enjoyment further still. Sometimes the red isn't needed: the white and blue has been doing just fine for Shadwell. 

 

 

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French 2,000 Guineas Fancy Isaac Shelby Sold To Wathnan Racing

Leading French 2,000 Guineas fancy Isaac Shelby (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) has been sold to the Qatari-based Wathnan Racing in a deal that was brokered by Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock. 

Isaac Shelby won the G3 Greenham S. in the colours of Manton Thoroughbreds on his reappearance at Newbury last month, after which, his trainer Brian Meehan revealed that he would sidestep Newmarket in favour of the French Classic at ParisLongchamp. 

The colt remains firmly on course for Sunday's race and will represent an exciting first European runner for Wathnan Racing, which was crowned the leading stable in Qatar last season following heavy investment at the autumn horses-in-training sales in Britain and France. 

A tight-lipped Brown commented on Wednesday, “Isaac Shelby is a very exciting colt. He has displayed a very high level of ability with the obvious highlight his comfortable win in the Greenham at Newbury last time. He is a lovely-looking individual with plenty of scope and class–he displays the best attributes of his sire.”

Isaac Shelby's Greenham S. victory was achieved in dramatic circumstances as short-priced favourite and subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) dislodged Frankie Dettori upon leaving the stalls.

But Isaac Shelby could not have been more impressive in pulling three lengths clear from his nearest rival on the day and is expected to be sent off one of the leading fancies in the market on Sunday.

TDN Europe understands that Sean Levey, who has ridden Isaac Shelby in all four of his races to date, will retain the ride.

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