‘Everybody who breeds aspires to breed a Group 1 winner’ - Wathnan Racing aiming high with top-class matings and returning stable stars

Wathnan Racing has already achieved a significant amount of success in a short space of time. 

Despite the upcoming turf campaign only being the operation’s second full season with runners in Europe, the colours of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, have been carried to victory in races such as the Gold Cup, the Jersey, Norfolk, and Queen Mary Stakes, as well as the Qipco British Champions Sprint, to name but a few. 

And the outfit quietly passed another milestone earlier this year when it welcomed its first thoroughbred foals. The first youngster to be registered as being bred by Wathnan Racing is a Wootton Bassett colt out of Group 1 Flying Five Stakes winner Romantic Proposal. 

He arrived on January 23, and was followed on February 1 by a Wootton Bassett filly out of Dramatised, the speedy daughter of Showcasing who won the Queen Mary and Temple Stakes and also finished runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. 

Both mares were bought in foal to Wootton Bassett as part of the private deal with Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics that also saw Wathnan Racing take ownership of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel, who remains in training and is being aimed at the Lockinge Stakes. 

“They’re the first Wathnan-bred foals,” says the operation’s racing adviser Richard Brown. “Wootton Bassett had an absolutely tremendous year last year, he’s a top stallion, and these two are both reported to be good foals.”

The purchase of the two broodmares, along with the retirement of the Fred Darling Stakes scorer Remarquee, has also seen the Wathnan team engage in their first round of mating plans. All three mares are set to visit two-time champion sire Frankel, who is standing at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket at a fee of £350,000.

Frankel: Juddmonte titan is set to receive three high-class mares from WathnanCredit: Edward Whitaker

“Dramatised is going to Frankel,” says Brown. “She was a fast mare, which suits Frankel, and obviously it’s a cross that’s worked already; it’s the same cross as Lake Victoria. Romantic Proposal is going to Frankel as well. She’s a Group 1-winning mare so she deserves a top-class cover, and that’s what she’s got. 

“Remarquee has been retired and went to Frankel. She was in training last year but unfortunately she got injured in the Chartwell Stakes and we didn’t want to risk her after that. She’s a lovely mare who had a lot of ability. That’s the great thing about racing fillies, you get a second bite of the cherry with their breeding career.” 

Although the move into breeding represents a new phase of Wathnan’s development, Brown emphasises that action on the racecourse is still very much the primary focus. 

“It’s still a very young operation and we are building, obviously, but we’re trying to build strategically,” he says. “Breeding is a small part of that at the moment, but the reason you have broodmares is to produce racehorses – and racing is absolutely the main focus.” 

He adds: “Obviously we’re trying to breed as good a horse as we can. Everybody who breeds aspires to breed a Group 1 winner, and that’s what we’re aspiring to do; to breed a horse the Emir and his family can enjoy and be proud of. That’s what this whole project is about.” 

The select broodmare band resides at Newsells Park Stud in Hertfordshire, where the operation is also standing its first stallion. Isaac Shelby won the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at two and the Greenham at three, beating subsequent champion miler Charyn by three lengths in the latter contest. 

He was then brought into the Wathnan fold and came agonisingly close to giving the operation a Classic winner with its very first runner in Europe when second to Marhaba Ya Sanafi in the 2023 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. The only son of Night Of Thunder at stud has been introduced to breeders at a fee of £7,000, and Brown says Wathnan will be among those supporting the horse during his second career. 

Isaac Shelby: Newsells Park Stud newcomer will also receive Wathnan supportCredit: Laura Green

“Isaac Shelby was Wathnan's first ever runner in Europe in the French 2,000 Guineas, and he was only beaten a head so it was very nearly the absolute perfect start,” he says. “He gave us some really good days out and was an exciting horse to own. Now having him standing at Newsells is great. He’s been very well received by breeders and we’re all looking forward to seeing his foals when they arrive.” 

Although Brown stresses that racetrack results remain the team’s immediate concern, the depth of talent within the Wathnan ranks means it is not hard to envisage further stallion prospects materialising over the course of the coming season. 

Brown outlines plans for some of the stable’s stars, including the high-achieving older horses Kind Of Blue, hero of the Group 1 British Champions Sprint, and Jersey Stakes scorer Haatem. 

“Kind Of Blue has wintered particularly well and we’re very excited about him,” he says. “Obviously he gave us a big day out on Champions Day. The pedigree, the trainer, everything points to the fact there should be more to come. He could be a really important horse for us this year; he’s very exciting and James Fanshawe is delighted with him. The plan is to start in the Duke of York Stakes, and if that goes well, I hope we’ll be looking at the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“Unfortunately Haatem had a niggle late last summer. It wasn’t serious but he’d had some hard races so we thought let’s knock his campaign on the head. He’s had a good winter and is back with Richard Hannon and looks absolutely magnificent. I think people will be pretty wowed by him when he turns up at the races because he really does look like the finished article. He’ll probably start off in the Sandown Mile.” 

Wathnan’s European squad is already up and running for 2025 with the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Map Of Stars continuing his upward trajectory with a cosy win in the Group 3 Prix Exbury earlier this month. 

“He’s a horse we’re very keen on,” Brown says. “He’s an immature horse, mentally if less so physically after a good winter. He’s a big, strong colt. He’s going to go to the Prix Harcourt next, and after that we’ll have an eye on the Ganay if that goes well. I think he’s a horse who can just keep progressing. He’s still a big baby.” 

Kind Of Blue: "He's wintered particularly well and we’re very excited about him"Credit: Edward Whitaker

The aforementioned Haatem was part of a Wathnan Racing four-timer at last year’s Royal Ascot along with Norfolk Stakes scorer Shareholder, Queen Mary winner Leovanni and English Oak, who won the Buckingham Palace Stakes. Shareholder and Leovanni are on course for summer campaigns, while another member of the three-year-old crop, last year’s Flying Childers winner Aesterius, could bid to enhance Wathnan’s already impressive Ascot record. 

“Aesterius has done particularly well over the winter and he’s back in full work,” says Brown. “What we’ve got to get our heads around now is whether he gets six furlongs. There’s a new conditions race at Chelmsford over six and we’ll decide which route we’re going down after that. Looking at him physically, I’m very much hoping he’s going to be okay with six. He obviously has a ton of speed but we need to find out whether he’s going to be a Commonwealth Cup horse or not.

“Shareholder ran in the Breeders’ Cup but had a niggle, we’ve given him all winter off and he’s back trotting now. We’ll give him plenty of time so he won’t be seen until the summer. It’s the same for Leovanni, they’ve both had niggles but no major issues. It’s very hard for three-year-old sprinters in the early part of the season anyway so we’ve decided we’re in no rush.” 

Besides the colts team, established top-flight stars Courage Mon Ami and Fallen Angel are also gearing up for their respective seasons. The former gave his owner a first Group 1 success in the 2023 running of the Gold Cup, but hasn’t been seen since finishing runner-up to Coltrane in the Lonsdale Cup later that season. 

“Everyone at Wathnan loves Courage Mon Ami and we’d all love to see him back at the races,” says Brown. “He’s never had a serious problem, he’s just had niggles. Obviously he’s missed a whole year but we did pull stumps early on last season and said let’s give him a very long rehab. He’s now back with John and Thady [Gosden] having had a long winter with Louise Collinson, who’s done a tremendous job with him. You’d love to get him back for a crack at the Gold Cup, but hopefully we can just get him back to the course and get him going again.” 

He adds: “Fallen Angel had a break at Newsells and got turned out for a month. She’s back with Karl [Burke] and is back cantering. She looks great and is moving well. The plan with her will be to start in the Lockinge. She’s a big, strong filly – she’s gorgeous – and physically she looks like she’ll be even better this year.” 

Brown also had an update on the Frankel colt Damysus, who remains in the Derby after a comfortable debut success at Southwell in December. 

Last year's Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel will now sport the Wathnan silks Credit: Patrick McCann

“He’s had a really good winter,” he says of the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt. “He’s probably like another 75 colts in that category in that he’s run once, won once and everyone is dreaming that theirs is the one. 

“I’d imagine we’ll go for a novice and then see from there. He’s a horse who's well liked and seems very straightforward. He’s got a great temperament and a great attitude. James Doyle was pretty taken with him when he won, and it takes a bit of doing to impress him. He’s a horse we’re looking forward to.” 

The twice-raced Realign is nominated as a ‘sleeper’ for the season. The son of Blue Point bumped into champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light on debut, and subsequently finished third behind Angelo Buonarroti in the Convivial Maiden at York. 

“He’s by Blue Point out a Dark Angel mare so maybe he didn’t get home [at York], but he’s strengthened up this year so I think he’ll be fine at seven furlongs,” says Brown. “He’s a horse we’re looking forward to and might be a bit of a sleeper. We’ll go to a maiden and we’ll see where we go after that.” 

Aesterius, Leovanni and Shareholder all graduated from last year’s breeze-ups, and there are this year’s two-year-old sales to navigate before the turf season begins in earnest. While Wathnan’s recruitment strategy remains a matter for behind closed doors, Brown says he will be on duty at the breeze-ups with his Blandford Bloodstock hat on. 

The agent has long been established as one of the best breeze-up judges around, having unearthed the likes of Ardad, Dream Ahead, Perfect Power and Teppal from previous year’s sales. 

“I always look forward to the breeze-ups,” he says. “They’ve been a huge source of success for lots of people, especially over the last five or ten years. We’ve been lucky to buy plenty of good horses from those sales so I always look forward to those coming around. They’re a great challenge and a great source of success.” 

Read more

'A difference in opinion on strategic direction and value' - Vin Cox resigns from Yulong 

'A horse with very rare ability' - City Of Troy to shuttle to Coolmore Australia this year 

'I jumped at it immediately' - Emily Upjohn sold to Japan’s Northern Farm