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Trainer Jose D’Angelo prioritized renewing his passport after Gabaldon's impressive debut victory in the US$120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile on 11th May at Gulfstream Park.
Gabaldon, earning a trip to Great Britain, will be saddled by his excited 34YO trainer for a stakes start at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet from 18th to 22nd June.
Owned by Soldi Stable, Gabaldon showed speed and grit in the Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf sprint for 2YOs. The race offered an automatic Royal Ascot stakes berth and a US$25,000 travel stipend. Purchased for US$9,000 at the 2023 OBS October sale, the son of Gone Astray set half-mile fractions of 21.33 and 43.80 seconds under heavy pressure before winning by 1 1/4 lengths in 56.20.
“I knew he was ready. When we worked him in company, he was perfect,” D’Angelo said. “We bought the horse with the idea to run him in the Florida Sire Stakes. One day, when I tried him on the grass, he was better on grass than dirt. So that’s why we tried him in the stake. I thought he would run big. They went fast. I think he has a big chance to win over there.”
George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate won at Gulfstream and Royal Ascot last year. D’Angelo, a rising trainer from Venezuela, has made three trans-Atlantic trips for stakes races. He's excited about future international wins. Jaramillo will ride Gabaldon at Royal Ascot. D’Angelo has high hopes for Urban Legend, a US$1.3 million purchase.
After securing victory in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh, high-class sprinter Mitbaahy has put Charlie Hills in high spirits as they look ahead to Royal Ascot.
The 5YO, previously a five-time winner for Roger Varian, transitioned from Newmarket to Lambourn in the off-season following its purchase by prominent owner Fitri Hay. Mitbaahy's strong performances in the Abernant Stakes and the Palace House, finishing fourth and seventh respectively, set the stage for its impressive Group Two win in Ireland over the weekend, with jockey Jamie Spencer delivering a well-timed ride to claim top honors.
“We were obviously delighted with him, he was given a good ride,” said Hills.
“He’s shown good form throughout his career and I think he’s one of those horses who is getting a bit better with age.
“He saw out the six furlongs well on a stiff track and I did think the track would suit him. We ran him over five at Newmarket in the Palace House the time before and they were always going a stride too quick for him. Although he wasn’t beaten that far, he could never really get on terms with them.”
Mitbaahy has been registered for the five-furlong King Charles III Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, both taking place at the Royal meeting. At this point, the latter race seems to be the preferred option.
Hills added, “We’ll go for the Jubilee, I would have thought. He is in the other race as well, so we’ll see what the ground is like nearer the time and make a final decision then.
“He deserves to go there now, absolutely. He beat a couple of Group One horses last week, so why not?”
Today at Tipperary, Sir Yoshi (9/4f) secured his readiness for Royal Ascot by claiming victory. The colt, owned by MRC International and trained by David Marnane, triumphed in the Tipperary (C&G) Maiden with jockey Luke McAteer in the saddle.
After finishing as the runner-up on his Dundalk debut and taking third place in a race at Cork on May 10 behind a subsequent winner, Sir Joshi showcased his form today by racing alongside the leaders and ultimately crossing the line ahead of Passing Phase by a half length.
Afterwards Marnane said “we like him but he obviously wants quicker ground than that (soft).
“I blame myself for the last day as I told Luke to take his time. He pinged the gates though and we ended up doing neither or, and they crowded him and he got intimidated. He came home well though and I wanted to get one more run into him before going to Ascot.
“He'll go for the Windsor (Castle Stakes) — shur why not, as he is tough and we don't know how good he is as he is very, very lazy. He is exceptionally lazy but yet he always seems to get there. His biggest attribute for Ascot is his relaxed temperament, which is what you need, and he has a bit of pace.”