Wathnan Racing

Never in the history of the breeze-up game have the top horses been worth more. That was evident at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale last week when the record for the most expensive horse ever sold at the sale was broken not once but twice and top agents Richard Brown and Billy Jackson-Stops admitted to finding it hard to land a blow.  Malcolm Bastard's 1.75 million gns record-breaking Havana Grey (GB) colt played a pretty significant role in the turnover reaching an all-time high of nearly 20 million gns. On...

Around this time last week, Case Clay, U.S. racing manager to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing, was trackside at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, closely monitoring the operation's two Thoroughbred entries for the Dubai World Cup meeting--Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the main event and Flood Zone (Frosted) for the G2 UAE Derby. Clay hot-footed it to the airport after the races to board a Sydney-bound A380 for the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and spent a few days there before heading back to...

Sent off the 1-2 favourite for Sunday's G2 Prix d'Harcourt, Wathnan Racing's progressive Map Of Stars (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) delivered in style to provide the red-hot Francis-Henri Graffard stable with a ParisLongchamp four-timer. Waited with in fourth early, the G3 Prix Exbury winner was sent to the front approaching the furlong pole by James Doyle and forged clear of Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) to record a 2 1/2-length success. On ground lively for the time of year, Map Of Stars produced a stunning final three-furlong split of...

We're off. Well, sort of. In a manner reminiscent of the sputtering start to the Flat turf season, Seven Days returns this week but is immediately taking a short break before promising to be back in time for the Lincoln and the Brocklesby. So, for those of you still in a post-Cheltenham/St Patrick's Day slump, here's a little look back on the week that was. We'll mention Cheltenham only briefly here to reiterate the point that we may well see the 100/1 Triumph Hurdle winner Poniros (GB) back in action...

Florence, KY--"Okay, I'm coming!" said Kaitlin Free. Bursting into a small room sandwiched between the announcer's booth and Free's broadcast studio at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, the Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) analyst was only halfway through applying her mascara and eyeliner, but that wasn't going to stop her from watching Flood Zone (Frosted) take the GII Gotham Stakes. With half her face on and the other 'au naturel,' Free's eyes were glued to the screen as she watched intently, offered an assessment as the field blazed for the far...

GIII Gotham Stakes winner Flood Zone (Frosted), a new addition last week to the TDN Derby Top 12 after a 98 Beyer figure in the Aqueduct race, will reportedly be routed to the Apr. 5 G2 UAE Derby at Meydan, according to a post on X from DRF's Marcus Hersh. Trainer Brad Cox had also been considering the Mar. 29 GI Florida Derby and the Apr. 5 GII Wood Memorial Stakes for Flood Zone, who made his first start for the Cox barn in the Gotham after he was purchased...

Purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to Brad Cox following a sharp maiden win at second asking at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, Flood Zone (Frosted) posted a 17-1 upset for his new connections in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. going a one-turn mile at the Big A. Sent to the front by Reylu Gutierrez, the blinkered bay was content to slot back into a three-wide and pressing third through an opening quarter in :23.86. He hooked up with unbeaten New York-bred and favored 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) on...

Flood Zone (c, 3, Frosted--Curls for Girls, by Curlin) is heading straight into the deep end. Purchased privately by Wathnan Racing and transferred to Brad Cox following a flashy maiden win versus Florida-breds going 6 1/2 furlongs at second asking at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, the bay will stretch to a one-turn mile for Saturday's GIII Gotham Stakes at the Big A. The Gotham, co-headlined by unbeaten New York-breds 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) and Sacrosanct (Honest Mischief), offers 105 points (50-25-15-10-5) on the road to the GI Kentucky...

Isaac Shelby, who became the first Governor of Kentucky in 1791, is believed to have inspired the Kentucky state motto: 'United we stand, divided we fall'. He sounds like he would have been a good man to run British racing, but the best we can hope for now is that his equine namesake makes as much of a success of his stallion career as the real Shelby did in his career in the military and politics.  It quickly became clear that Night Of Thunder (Ire) was a pretty special stallion...

Cagliostro (Upstart), who was a stakes winner and twice Grade III-placed after being acquired privately by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing in the spring of 2024, has been sent to Meydan for the Dubai Carnival, where he will be trained by Hamad Al-Jehani. The operation's American representative, Case Clay, confirmed the news via text Monday. Bred in Florida by Lance Colwell and Janice Clark, Cagliostro was originally trained by Cherie DeVaux for a partnership that included her husband, bloodstock agent David Ingordo, West Point Thoroughbreds, Nice Guys...

When City Of Troy (Justify) and his entourage descended on Southwell for a racecourse gallop on that feel-good afternoon back in September, it was commented on that the number of racing fans there to see him--thought to be 700-plus--was larger than would usually turn up for a typical day of racing there. The Nottinghamshire track traditionally staged low-grade fare which offered no real prospect of seeing a horse with talent even remotely comparable to that of the Derby winner. It was also commented on that the test provided by the...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features Damysus, a son of Group 2 winner Legerete.   7.30 Southwell, Novice, £6,300, 2yo, 7f 14y (AWT) DAMYSUS (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is a significant newcomer for Wathnan Racing and the Gosdens as a son of the Wertheimers' G2 Prix de Malleret winner and G1 Prix de...