By Tom Frary
As the betting suggested, Kempton's mile novice on Wednesday evening was not supposed to present a serious test to Godolphin's Nation's Hope (Ghaiyyath) and that proved to be the case. Sent off at 1-16 having earned TDN Rising Star status on debut over this course and distance last month, the half-brother to the stable's multiple Grade I-winning Nations Pride (Teofilo) was put on the front end by James Doyle with none of his four peers able to stride on.
Stretching clear from two out, the Charlie Appleby trainee put six lengths between him and Killer Whale (Dark Angel) at the line. “The first day we were able to get cover and teach him a little bit more, but today I thought I'd let him go in front and it probably hasn't suited him,” Doyle said. “He was up in the air a bit with his ears pricked and he felt better last time when getting a lead and running at horses.”
“He's a nice mover once you get into top gear and is entitled to be a touch babyish still. It shows he can do it both ways and it'll be interesting to see where he ends up,” he added. “He will go over a bit further in time–his half-brother was a top-class 10-furlong horse and hopefully we're looking at another one.”
“He's clearly a very talented horse. We have another who also won impressively here called Talk Of New York and he's in a similar bracket.”
A comfortable success for Nation's Hope in the @HEROSCharity Creating Bright Futures EBF Novice Stakes 🥇 pic.twitter.com/Zp4z5FpqCo
— Kempton Park Racecourse (@kemptonparkrace) December 10, 2025
Nation's Hope is the latest of six foals out of the Listed winner Important Time (Oasis Dream), headed by the aforementioned Nations Pride who was successful in the Saratoga Derby, Grosser Dallmayr Preis, Canadian International and Arlington Million. A daughter of the Prix de l'Opera heroine Satwa Queen (Muhtathir), she is connected to the Criterium de Saint Cloud-winning sire Spadoun, the multiple Group 1-winning dual Australian champion Militarize (Dundeel) and Lope De Vega's Phoenix Stakes-winning sire Lucky Vega.
5th-Kempton, £11,000, Novice, 12-10, 2yo, 8f (AWT), 1:40.33, st/sl.
NATION'S HOPE (IRE) (c, 2, Ghaiyyath {Ire}–Important Time {Ire} {SW-Ger}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $21,438. O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby.
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