A crackerjack meeting at Deauville in France overnight highlighted the power of Wootton Bassett (GB), who sired yet another new two year-old stakes-winner and he also featured as the grand-sire of Woodshauna, who captured the Group I Prix Jean Prat (1400m) for US based Resolute Racing.
Wootton Bassett is already the sire of one Group I producing sire son in Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) and now he has another as three year-old colt Woodshauna is from the first crop of Swettenham Stud shuttler Wooded (IRE).
Trained by Henri -Francis Graffard, Woodshauna was a winner at two and then showed good form this year with Listed and Group III wins in France before being offered at the Goffs London Sale where he was bought by John Stewart of Resolute Racing for £625,000.
Sent out for his first try at G1 company in the Prix Jean Prat in his new ownership, Woodshauna produced a brilliant late surge for Christophe Soumillon to catch Wootton Bassett colt Maranoa Charlie, who had also been sold prior to this race with his Australian owners selling out to Bond Thoroughbreds.
A short neck split the pair at the finish with the Coolmore runner The Lion in Winter in third place ahead of last year’s Champion 2YO Colt Shadow of Light.
“Woodshauna is a lovely horse and his form was strong. I decided to skip Ascot for this race, so it worked out well. It was a big step. He's got a great attitude and is improving physically, and he was given a great ride,” said Henri-Francis Graffard.
“He has a lot of speed and seven furlongs is the maximum. The Prix Maurice de Gheest [six and a half furlongs] is definitely a race we can target and I think he will be better dropped back in distance.”
Maranoa Charlie’s new owners were also thrilled with their colt.
“It's a great run to be second in a Group 1. Maranoa Charlie was a big purchase and it looks like we've made the right choice. We saw this horse on his last run [when winning the Prix Paul de Moussac] and we made contact with his previous owners,” said Charlie Bond.
“He's our first horse trained in France and I think he'll come home to York next for the [Group 1] City of York Stakes. When we talked to Christopher [Head, trainer] after his purchase, this race was a good stepping stone to York, but we'll follow Christopher's guidance.”
Woodshauna was originally purchased by Al Shaqab Racing70,000 euros from the Arqana October Yearling Sale and is the first foal to race from stakes-placed Tosen Shauna, a half-sister by Alhebayeb to stakes-winner Maremmadiavola.
Woodshauna was the first stakes-winner for Wooded and is now his first G1 winner.
Wooded has shuttled to Swettenham Stud in Victoria for three seasons at a fee of $22,000 and is priced this spring at $16,500.
Wootton Bassett added another juvenile stakes-winner to his tally for this year when the Christopher Head trained colt Nighttime scored a three length win in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure (1400m).
Second on debut in May at Saint-Cloud and then an easy maiden winner at the same venue last month, Nighttime was a short priced favourite and won with authority for Maxime Guyon.
Christopher Head is planning towards the Group I Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère for Nighttime.
“You have no idea how happy I am to train those Wootton Bassetts and what a stallion, what he is doing is just so impressive,” Head said in his post-race interview.
“I love this horse and I love the Wertheimers (owners), I love working with Maxime (Guyon, jockey) and this is just the beginning of a very good story.
“This horse has been so easy to train, he has been doing everything properly and he has been so professional during his races. You could ride him classically or just go in front, he can do anything.
“The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) is on the table and we will do everything to make it possible to go there.”
A homebred for Wertheimer & Frere, Nighttime is a half-brother to Group III winner Halfday and is the second winner from three foals to race from blueblood Frankel mare Daytime.
The Juddmonte bred Daytime had just one start for a placing and is a sibling to Group III winner Midterm and stakes-winners Noon Star and Mori from Champion Older Mare Midday, a six time Group I winner, who notably won the Group I Nassau Stakes at Goodwood three times!
Nighttime is bred for greatness and is the 67th stakes-winner for Wootton Bassett and is his fourth juvenile SW in the Northern Hemisphere in 2025.
Wootton Bassett will be back at Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $385,000.
