Equinties - POW

Author

BGP Capital
June 14, 2024

Equinties

Gm Equinauts

8 race meetings, the start of the Euro’s, the suns almost shining… stinks of being a Good Friday!

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

SIRE TO FOLLOW

We know that Royal Ascot is just around the corner, but yesterday was a bit of a lull for any new news (thank god the bets hit), so we’re hopping over to the jumps game…temporarily. That said, when it concerns Wizard Willie Mullins, it’s still fairly newsworthy.

One of the top hurdling stars of the season just gone by was IRISH POINT who is by JOSHUA TREE, the 2009 Group 2 Royal Lodge winner who went on to net three separate renewals of the Grade 1 Canadian International over 1m4f, the only horse to achieve this feat.

Thanks to the exploits of Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old grey, a few in the industry are starting to take note of his progeny and now Willie Mullins has his hands on one.

The master of Closutton and Harold Kirk teamed up to take home the well-bred three-year-old who has a nice family tree. His dam, TROPICAL LILLY, is a half to KILBARRY CLASSIC (the dam of Grade 2-placed EMBITTERED) and his granddam (TROPICAL LAKE) produced the 2021 Scottish Champion Hurdle winner MILKWOOD.

On the purchase, Kirk said: "I just particularly like that sire, and there aren’t a lot of them around. He stood in Ireland for a while before going back to France, and they like him there.

"This is a lovely horse, racy and strong and an especially good mover, from vendors who sell a lot of good winners. He might be one for the Goffs Defender Bumper. I showed him to Willie yesterday and he loved him as well."

Punchestown Festival chat in June. WTF!

POW!

One race that has been a slight uncertainty for Royal Ascot in recent days is the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

Why? Well, over the last week or so, there had been more talk for INSPIRAL – a horse who punters thought was more likely to head to the Queen Anne – but now trainer comments suggest otherwise.

Well, we got a bit more clarity yesterday at the six-day entry stage as both horses were kept in the contest by their connections.

Although the INSPIRAL picture was still a bit murky, the exchange has been helping. She is now 8’s into 7/2 for the POW.

So we could have INSPIRAL, WHITE BIRCH and AUGUSTE RODIN in the line up - surely one of the races of the week!

WATHNAN AGAIN, AGAIN

It’s another week and another Wathnan Racing purchase to talk about as the growing owners have bought FIRST LOOK, this year’s Prix du Jockey Club runner-up.

He’s by LOPE DE VEGA who has had a stunning season with METROPOLITAN winning the French Guineas. The fine Chestnut beast was a €340,000 yearling, his dam is a sister to ROMANCIERE who was Gr1 placed and Left Hand who was a Gr1 winner. The Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot next week looks a likely target but he should be a player in some top Group races here or abroad.

Furthermore, with a big Royal Ascot team already booked in thanks to HAATEM, TORITO, SHADWO ARMY, SPACE LEGEND, DYRHOLAEY, and LEOVANNI, he could join his owner-mates at the royal meeting for the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes on the third day.

Richard Brown, Wathnan's racing adviser, said: "Andre is delighted with the way he's come out of the race, and he's under consideration for the Hampton Court at the end of next week."

Hold up… word coming through Wathnan literally just bought ANOTHER one haha…REAL GAIN trained by Richard Hughes. Wtf!

BREEZE UPS

The Breeze Up purchasers have been doing well and we’ve highlighted a load of them. ANNO DOMINI won yesterday at Newbury, SHAREHOLDER won nicely despite being green at Beverly last weekend and CATALYSE bolted up at Hamilton beating another Breeze Up high price colt MOTAWAHIJ. LEOVANNI has won and Goffs Top Lot ADRESTIA has run well in defeat.

Anyhow, the list is long and amazingly mainly made up of mainly Wathnan squad members. ROYAL OFFICER topped the Craven Breeze Up Sales which was run on soft ground, he was entered a week ago at Haydock but the ground has definitely eased a little since then. By GALIELO and his mother is a full sister to moderate sire GREGORIAN.

Now ROYAL OFFICER is stabled at Godolphin and one of their largest competitors now is Wathnan. That team saddle CONSOLIDATION - a 300,000gns breezer from the same sale. He’s a gorgeous TOO DARN HOT colt who looks the real deal on paper but can he match the Godolphin horse? Maybe, but they’ll both have to be top top to beat the Gosden horse - whispers are he’s a machine!

RISK ON

It felt good to get back on the scoreboard in a big way yesterday, at our home track no less. Today we like:

15.25 HUTCHENCE 

Step up in trip sure to suit, especially around Chester. Trainer won the race last year. 6/4 a good bet.

16.50 BABOUCHE

Yeh yeh Irish but the right people have hammered it and we’re following. 6/4.

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