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| Staff Writer |
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Trainer Karl Burke, along with owners Wathnan Racing, celebrated another victory at Royal Ascot as their 2YO Shareholder secured a smart win in the Norfolk Stakes.
This marked the second successful outing for the Spigot Lodge team, the Qatar-based owners, and jockey James Doyle, following their earlier triumph with the impressive Leovanni in the Queen Mary Stakes on the previous day.
Despite some late drift leftward, Shareholder, crossed the finish line a length ahead of Tropical Storm, with Arizona Blaze in a close third and Whistlejacket finishing fourth.
Only 12 days after a victorious debut at Beverley, where Shareholder overcame initial inexperience, the €460,000 purchase delivered a strong performance in the five-strong group on the far side of the track.
Burke mentioned that Shareholder had made a lot of mistakes in his first race, but he was confident that he would improve, both physically and performance-wise. Despite being two or three kilos lighter that day compared to his Beverley race, Shareholder appeared bigger and stronger. Credit must be given to Richard Brown; despite having a considerable budget, he made excellent purchasing decisions.
He added, “Richard was quietly confident that he’d be able to turn the 7lb around with Sheikh Rashid’s horse [Moving Force], but I think this is a very good horse, and he’ll stay six furlongs as well. I thought we were going to get nabbed a furlong out, and then he’s gone again. I love the way he stretched again in the last 50 yards.”
Regarding the future plans, he remarked: "I would say he's speed. I think he will definitely stay six furlongs and I'm sure he'll be a Commonwealth Cup horse.
“I would think we'll step him up next time but I'll speak to the guys. I don't think he'll be a Guineas horse, he hasn't shown us that, although he relaxed very well today, so I suppose he has a chance."
Doyle said: “He’s still learning. I tried to keep a lid on him for as long as possible, until we got down to the inside pole, I just wanted to give him time to get organised.
“His debut was a bit messy at Beverley, it’s a hard place to teach a horse, but he learned plenty.
“He’s got a big engine. A big thank you to Karl Burke, he’s produced these horses lovely, which isn’t an easy thing to do.”
Brown said: “What has happened in the past two days, you couldn’t even dream it would go like this. All credit to Karl Burke and his team. It is important to mention Richard Morgan-Evans and his team in Newmarket. Every horse we buy goes to Richard and they have a tailor-made, individual programme which involves immediate turnout in paddocks, and giving them that recovery time. Richard is a very important part of the process.”
"It is usually said that it's too tight a turnaround to get a horse from the Arqana sale to Royal Ascot, but we like a challenge and I thought this was the horse to do it.”
Asked about Wathnan Racing, Doyle added: "It is great to have a superpower like this really getting behind British racing. It's been a tough sell, our sport, hasn't it, so we have to really take note when people want to invest, and they deserve all the success.”
Richard Ryan, racing manager to the owners of Tropical Storm, Teme Valley Racing, said: “He’s had an interrupted prep and a tiny, silly setback and fair play to Andrew (Balding), who has had a lot of belief in this horse for a long time.
“He’s got a mind to die for and he’s like an old handicapper and this opens the door for all sorts of targets ongoing from here. He’s a very good horse and bar that little hiccup, I think they would all have sat up today – we will have our day, I’m sure. I think he might be a hot thing in a maiden!”
Adrian Murray said of Arizona Blaze: “We’re delighted and he ran an absolute blinder. When you are on the world stage here, it is tough.
“David (Egan) said he would be even better if we stepped him up a furlong to six – six on good ground, five on slightly slower. He’s won on soft and on good ground, he’s a very versatile horse.
“We’ve entered him in all the big ones, the top 2YO races, so we will see how he comes out of today and pick and choose where we go.
1st- Shareholder (Wathnan Racing) Karl Burke / James Doyle
2nd- Tropical Storm (Teme Valley Racing) Andrew Balding /Oisin Murphy
3rd- Arizona Blaze (Amo Racing Limited & Giselle de Aguiar) Adrian Murray /David Egan