Tag: William Haggas

Eleven Foreigners To Challenge Home Team On FWD Champions Day

A record 11 overseas-based gallopers, including Group 1 winners Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) from Great Britain and Japan's Mad Cool (Jpn) (Dark Angel {Ire}), are among the 35 total horses invited to participate in the trio of races which comprise FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin Racecourse on Apr. 28.

Trained by William Haggas, the globetrotting Dubai Honour pays a third visit to Hong Kong and will look to improve on his performance from 12 months ago, where he was a low-odds third behind the re-opposing, three-peat seeking Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the richest of the afternoon's events, the HK$28 million (£2.84 million/€3.29 million) G1 FWD QE II Cup. Also among the invitees is recent BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Massive Sovereign (Ire) (No Nay Never).

Whereas Dubai Honour was set for a strenuous two-race Australian Group 1 prep last term, he enters this year's contest a much fresher horse, having won Kempton's Listed Magnolia S. by a smooth three-length margin Apr. 1. Dubai Honour was also a respectable fourth in the 2022 G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup over the QE II Cup course and distance.

The G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize lost some of its lustre when the world's top-rated sprinter Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}) was ruled out via injury, and it will be left to last-out G1 Al Quoz Sprint victor California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) to fly the Bauhinia flag. Victor the Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) is also set to make an appearance, having set the pace before finishing a brave third to Mad Cool in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo Mar. 23. Trainer George Boughey is set to be represented by his first Hong Kong runner in the 4-year-old filly Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), a dual listed winner in England and victorious in the G3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly in 2023.

Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) will try to win the G1 FWD Champions Mile for a record fourth time in what could be his final career appearance. The 8-year-old, a three-time Horse of the Year, will have the services of Vincent Ho as they look for an 11th Group 1 success together. Hong Kong Derby runner-up Galaxy Patch (Aus) (Wandjina {Aus}) drops back to the 1600 metres in a race that has also attracted All-Star Mile winner Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat), beaten under three lengths in last weekend's G1 Doncaster Mile H. at Randwick, and Middle Park Racing LX's Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation), a stakes winner in no fewer than five different jurisdictions for trainer Archie Watson, including the Listed Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup in Qatar Feb. 17.

“FWD Champions Day is one of the most prestigious meetings on the international racing stage and we are delighted to have such a strong group of world-class horses heading to Sha Tin for our spring flagship meeting,” said Andrew Harding, executive director, racing, for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “With eight visitors from Japan and three from Great Britain, the might of Hong Kong's team will be tested in all three feature races.”

 

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Yulong’s Via Sistina and Place Du Carrousel to Clash in G1 Ranvet

While Saturday ushers in the new turf season in Britain, there are almost as many European horses nominated to run at Rosehill in Sydney that same day. 

In the G1 Ranvet S., six of the seven runners were bred in either Britain, Ireland or France, and they include two seven-figure purchases made by Yulong Investments last December. 

Group 1-winning mares Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was bought for 2.7 million gns at Tattersalls, and Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a €4.025 million Arqana purchase, are now trained respectively by Chris Waller and Anthony and Sam Freedman. They are set to go head to head in the 2,000-metre contest which also features Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a former dual Listed winner in Ireland, French Listed winner Bois d'Argent (GB) (Toronado {Ire}), Military Mission (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), and Zeyrek (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Nine of the last 12 runnings of the race have been won by a horse bred in Europe.

Waller, who saddles both Via Sistina and Buckaroo for the A$1 million race, told Australia's Sky Racing World that he has been following the example set by his British counterpart William Haggas, who has twice won the Ranvet, with Addeybb (Ire) and Dubai Honour (Ire).

He said of Via Sistina, the winner of the G1 Pretty Polly S. and runner-up to King Of Steel in the G1 Champion S. for George Boughey  last year, “We prepared her in Newmarket, I kept a close eye on what Mr Haggas has done with a few of his horses which have beaten Verry Elleegant a number of times. He just gets it right every year. Firstly he brings the right horse. Secondly he prepares them well and thirdly they cope with the trip. So she looks like she's that type of horse.”

Waller added, “She's thrived the last two weeks. She's just going on the right path forward and I've been impressed with her.”

Some familiar names also make the cut for Saturday's 19-strong G1 George Ryder S.

The 2022 Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), whose move from Sheila Lavery to Ciaron Maher last year was not without controversy, makes his second start for Maher after finishing second in the G3 Liverpool City Cup at Randwick on his Australian debut.

He is set to face the former John and Thady Gosden trainee Mighty Ulysses (GB), the winner of last season's G3 Sovereign S. at Salisbury who is now trained by Annabel Neasham. The Irish Listed winner Cosmic Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who changed hands for 100,000gns at Tattersalls last October, is also in the line-up along with Cepheus (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Unspoken (Ire) (Territories {Ire}).

The G3 N E Manion Cup, run over 2,400 metres, is another race in which the European imports have dominated over the last decade. Haggas won the race with Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in 2020 and this year fields Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who is now owned by Lloyd Williams.

“He's a nice horse and I think he's done enough to run to his best,” said Haggas on Wednesday. “Bit of a wide draw but he's a good stayer. He just hits a bit of a flat spot but maybe first time out he'll be fresh enough not to do that. It's quite a competitive race but if he has any aspirations to win a better class of race then he needs to be running well on Saturday.

“The Manion Cup followed by the Sydney Cup has always been the plan. Let's just hope he's good enough. He'd have 50kg in the Sydney Cup so Tom [Marquand] wouldn't be able to ride him but let's just worry about one race first, and that's Saturday. It's a pretty inconvenient time for a Newmarket trainer because I think the race is off at ten to two in the morning but that's the way it is. We'll look forward to it.”

Post Impressionist is up against last year's Listed Feilden S. winner Canberra Legend (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is another to have joined the Waller stable. 

Another expensive Yulong acquisition to now be under the care of Sydney's champion trainer is Gan Teorainn (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), who is an interesting entrant for the G3 Epona S. Bought from Boherguy Stud for 1 million gns in 2022 after finishing runner-up to Blue Rose Cen (Ire) in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, she subsequently finished third in the G3 Lexus Archer S. at Flemington last November. 

 

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Setback Prevents Dubai Honour’s Return to Sydney

Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), the winner of last year's G1 Ranvet S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in Sydney, will not be returning to Australia for this year's Championships after meeting with a setback. 

The six-year-old, who is trained in Newmarket by William Haggas for owner Mohamed Obaida, had been set to defend his crown this spring but will be prepared instead for Hong Kong's G1 QEII Cup, in which he finished third last year.

“We are disappointed to announce that Dubai Honour has had a setback and is unable to travel to Australia for the upcoming Carnival in Sydney,” said Haggas on Friday morning. “It is particularly frustrating as we felt he was in the form of his life. We hope to be able to prepare him for another tilt at the QEII in Hong Kong on 28 April with a run beforehand, more than likely in Magnolia Stakes at Kempton on 1 April.”

In recent years the Haggas stable has reaped rich rewards in targeting the Sydney programme during the Australian autumn. 

Along with the dual Group 1 strike for Dubai Honour last year, Protagonist (Fr) won the G3 Sky High S. In 2020, Addeybb (Ire) completed that same Group 1 double as Dubai Honour and returned the following year to go close to repeating that feat, beating Verry Elleegant (NZ) to win the Queen Elizabeth II S. after finishing second to that top mare in the Ranvet. Haggas also landed the G3 NE Manion Cup in 2020 and 2021 with Young Rascal (Fr) and Favorite Moon (Ger).

This year the trainer will be represented by two runners in Sydney, with Shadwell's G2 Huxley S. runner-up Mujtaba (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) set to travel to Australia along with the Old Borough Cup winner Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).

The trainer added, “We will be represented by Mujtaba who will be aimed at the Ranvet and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, although he does have the option of the Tancred Stakes. He is training well and due to enter quarantine today along with Post Impressionist, a useful stayer who will be aimed at the Manion Cup and the Sydney Cup. Once again Isabella Paul will be in charge.”

 

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Relief Rally to Race On For Haggas and Yulong

Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), last year's winner of the G2 Lowther S., has returned to William Haggas's stable after being sold at Tattersalls in December for 800,000gns. She was knocked down in the name of Mrs A Sullivan at the time.

The filly is now registered on the British Horseracing Authority's website as being owned by Mr Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments. The same owner also bought multiple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) for 5.4 million gns at the previous year's December Mares Sale. 

Relief Rally is rated 107 after a season in which she was defeated only once in her five starts, and then only by a nose when second in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. Racing last year for the partnership of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, she won her first two races in April and May, and following Royal Ascot she headed to Newbury for victory in the Weatherbys Super Sprint. Relief Rally's final win of the year in the Lowther at York's Ebor meeting was the third success in that race for Haggas, who also won the G2 Gimcrack S. a day later with Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never).

“I am delighted at how well she's done over the winter. There isn't a great deal of her but she has definitely strengthened a lot,” Haggas told TDN on Tuesday. “I suspect she will stay sprinting. She has a very good turn of foot.”

While Relief Rally's programme for this year is yet to de decided, the trainer noted that the Commonwealth Cup at the royal meeting is “the obvious race”.  In its nine runnings to date, the Group 1 sprint for three-year-olds has twice been won by a filly – Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in 2016 and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in 2021. 

Haggas added, “She started cantering today. Let's hope she can win a Group 1 race this year as she's already a Group 2 winner.”

He also issued an update on Lake Forest, who is another to have resumed cantering this week. Haggas said, “He needs quick ground so he won't be out too early. But we'll be aiming him for the Commonwealth Cup, I suspect, because he's in the same position as her in that he's a Group 2 winner so there's not much point in going backwards. He might start in the Sandy Lane at the end of May.”

 

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