Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) has been making news in Australia in recent months with his first crop of locally bred yearlings lighting up sales around the country and overnight at Navan in Ireland he posted a brilliant debut winning two year-old with Royal Ascot aspirations.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Camille Pissarro was a short priced favourite and looked very professional working through his gears to surge clear and win the 6f juvenile contest by a length and a half.
The same race was won last year by another Wootton Bassett colt in River Tiber, who also progressed to Royal Ascot and won the Group II Coventry Stakes.
“He is very exciting,” Ballydoyle representative Chris Armstrong.
“The penny was only starting to drop with him really in the last half-furlong, which was probably the best part of the race for him. He has a very good attitude which is typical of the Wootton Bassetts.
“He is definitely one for Ascot, he’s a classy sort. Whether we get one run into him between now and Ascot, I’m not sure.”
Camille Pissarro was purchased by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1.25millionguineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 and was the highest priced yearling by his sire sold at that sale.
He is a half-brother to Group I winning sprinter Golden Horde and stakes-winners Exhort and Line of Departure being the eighth winner from nine foals to race from exceptional producer Entreatm, a half-sister by Pivotal to Group II winner Producer.
Local buyers have welcomed the stock of Wootton Bassett with his yearlings averaging $465,625 (32 sold) at Magic Millions and $391,364 (22 sold) at Inglis Easter.
His top sellers here are listed below.
