Gay Charlotte line giving Whatton Manor Stud plenty of reasons to be cheerful

For decades, the blood of Gay Charlotte has coursed through Whatton Manor Stud, its influence pivotal to the Nottinghamshire nursery’s ongoing success.

From Upend to Overdose and now Raffle Prize, it is a family noted for its regular production of high-class runners, many of them for the people who understand it best in Peter and Catherine Player of Whatton Manor and their son Ed.

This year has brought with it a further upturn in family fortunes in the form of Raffle Prize, the leading juvenile filly seen out so far this season by virtue of her wins in the Queen Mary and Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, the latter achieved at the expense of Albany Stakes winner Daahyeh in an all-aged course record time at Newmarket on Friday.