Horse Racing
Emir of Qatar goes on Royal Ascot spending spree snapping up six top contenders
The Emir’s Wathnan Racing arm, which enjoyed two winners at last year’s royal meeting, has added 2,000 Guineas runner-up Haatem and a horse trained by Willie Mullins to team
Royal Ascot is not only a major date in the calendar for Britain’s royal family but overseas heads of state too.
Last year King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who attended their first royal meeting together since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, experienced the thrill of having a winner at the track with their horse Desert Hero.
They were not the only ‘royals’ to enjoy success on the track with the colours of Wathnan Racing visiting the winners’ enclosure for the first time.
There were wins for the newly acquired Courage Mon Ami, in the Gold Cup, and Gregory.
It subsequently transpired that Wathnan Racing was owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Wathnan Racing has been expanding ever since, appointing James Doyle as first jockey, and buying more talent for him to ride.
Keen to make its mark again at Royal Ascot, Wathnan Racing has purchased six horses, the star of which is Haatem, who has finished second in both the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas.
“Our remit was to produce a team of horses for Ascot that the Emir can enjoy and be proud of,” said racing advisor Richard Brown.
“There is a group of horses here that can hopefully do that. Last year was amazing, with two winners, and with this team added to what we already have, there is hopefully going to be plenty of horses with chances.
“However, you do not count your chickens at Ascot. You need a lot of luck and a lot of things to go your way and it is as hard a place as any to have a winner. Hopefully we have a team that goes there with plenty of live chances.”
The Richard Hannon-trained Haatem will be aimed at the Jersey Stakes while the other new recruits are Shartash (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes), Dyrholaey (Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes), Torito and Shadow Army (Norfolk Stakes).
Wathnan have also bought a horse trained by Willie Mullins, Lope De Lilas, who will skip the Royal meeting to head to the Juddmonte Irish Oaks in July.
“If you had told me at the beginning of the year we would have a horse with Willie Mullins, I would have questioned your sanity, because I didn’t realise we were moving into his main field, the jumping field,” quipped Brown.
“However, I was very impressed with Lope De Lilas at Leopardstown, she galloped out miles and I loved seeing that.“She’s a very well-bred filly and a big filly who is going to need time and she is only going to get better with age.
“She could have been a Ribblesdale candidate, but we have put a line through that and Willie is keen to go to the Irish Oaks with her. It’s not for me to tell Willie Mullins how to train, so that is what we will be doing.”
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