Tony McFadden outlines how Wathnan Racing’s impressive team of two-year-olds stack up on Timeform ratings.
Wathnan Racing made a splash at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year and that free-spending has translated to early success on the track with six of the nine juveniles who have run for the operation so far this season managing to win on debut.
Wathnan Racing came to prominence at Royal Ascot last year through victories for Gregory and Courage Mon Ami and the organisation – owned by the Emir of Qatar – have bolstered their team ahead of this year’s fixture, with York debut winner Shadow Army included among some high-profile purchases.
Here’s how Shadow Army and Wathnan Racing’s other two-year-olds compare on Timeform’s ratings.
Columnist fetched only 8,000 guineas as a yearling but he clearly impressed during his breeze-up as his price soared to £170,000 when going through the sales ring again at two.
Columnist also impressed on his debut at Chester where he proved far too sharp for his rivals in a six-furlong novice and readily scored by four and a quarter lengths.
Naturally, he’ll need to improve on that bare form when upped in class next week, though he’ll certainly be entitled to a crack at whichever race connections opt to contest, with Timeform’s reporter at Chester labelling him “every inch a Royal Ascot colt”.
Columnist and Shadow Army share a trainer as well as the same Timeform rating, with both in the care of Richard Fahey.
Shadow Army didn’t win anywhere near as emphatically as Columnist but he gained his narrow success in a more competitive five-furlong novice at York and that form has already been given a boost by the runner-up, Francisco’s Piece, winning a listed race in France.
Unlike many of the Wathnan breeze-up buys who had already been put through their paces on the racecourse, Shadow Army showed signs of inexperience on his debut and is perhaps open to greater improvement.
With trainer Karl Burke responsible for the most two-year-old winners so far this season and Wathnan Racing’s breeze-up buys already making a big impact, it was unsurprising that Leovanni was a warm order for the partnership on debut at Nottingham.
She ran out a ready two-and-a-quarter-length winner after impressing with how she moved through the race and she put up one of the best debut performances by a juvenile filly trained in Britain so far this season.
Catalyse was up against another expensive purchase from a top yard on debut at Hamilton but he impressed with how quickly he settled matters to justify his position at the head of the market.
Catalyse made smooth headway from two furlongs out and quickened to lead entering the final furlong, readily pulling a couple of lengths clear and marking himself out as an exciting prospect.
The horse to get the Wathnan Racing breeze-up buys bandwagon rolling was Aesterius who made a winning debut at Bath last month.
He was hassled for the lead for the most part but still found plenty and quickened clear inside the final half-furlong for a decisive two-and-three-quarter length success in the style of a potentially smart sort.
The most expensive of the breeze-up buys at €460,000, Shareholder was up against three previous winners in a conditions race at Beverley but, in receipt of weight, he was sent off the 6/4 favourite.
In contrast to the other winners who carried the Wathnan silks, Shareholder was slowly away and looked green but he displayed some likeable traits, including a good attitude under pressure, to narrowly prevail.
Electrolyte only had three rivals to beat at Ayr and the odds-on favourite ran a bit flat in second, so he didn’t have to run to as high a level as the operation’s other juveniles to make a winning start.
He also had the run of the race on the stand rail, though he did score decisively by two and and a quarter lengths.
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