News - WOOTTON BASSETT (GB)
A Group III winner last year at two, Whirl made every post a winner at York overnight when leading all the way to win the Group III Musidora Stakes (1m2 ½f) in a canter.
The French classics for three year-olds over a mile were run overnight at Longchamp with Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) having first and third in the colts renewal, while there was a protest in the fillies race that produced victory for an Agha Khan homebred filly by Siyouni.
Given the highest ever service fee ($385,000) for a stallion standing in Australia, Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) has a new wave of exciting juveniles ready to unleash in the Northern Hemisphere and two of them won on Saturday, one each for Godolphin and Coolmore.
There were five heats for juveniles at the Rosehill trials on Friday morning with an eye-catching showing from Magic Millions 2YO Classic place-getter Gallo Nero a highlight, while unraced fillies by Shalaa (IRE), Written Tycoon and Exceed and Excel also came under notice.
During a high octane night of trade at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale Coolmore boss Tom Magnier was active at the top of the market purchasing three stunning mares in Amelia’s Jewel, Tiz Invincible and Estriella and also announced the fee for Wootton Bassett (GB).
Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) unleashed not one but two exciting juveniles at Warwick Farm on Wednesday with the opening race going to the colt Regulated Affair and shortly after it was the turn of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained filly Agarwood.
Champion trainer Chris Waller is renowned for producing talented back season juveniles that blossom into stakes performers and we saw one at Warwick Farm on Wednesday when heavily backed Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Regulated Affair opened his account.
When you call a filly Simply Astounding there is a level of expectation and the debut win of this blueblood Wootton Bassett filly overnight in Ireland would suggest the name was not bestowed lightly.
Mr Versatile as a sire, Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) gets fast juveniles, quality milers and a smattering of classy stayers including one of his rare grey offspring in Presage Nocturne, who won the Group III Prix Prix de Barbeville (3000m) at Longchamp on Sunday.
A Wootton Bassett filly from Alma Vale topped a robust day of trade at the HTBA Yearling Sale that finished with “stronger than expected’’ figures across the board.
Announced to return to Australia later this year, Wootton Bassett (GB) posted his 60th stakes-winner in the UK overnight when three year-old colt Swagman captured the Group III Bet 365 Classic Trial (1m2f) at Sandown.
Super interesting winner at Newmarket on Thursday was a Godolphin homebred two year-old colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) that won on debut and is on track for Royal Ascot.
One of 13 stakes-winning two year-olds last year in the Northern Hemisphere for Wootton Bassett (GB), exciting colt Maranoa Charlie made a winning return in France overnight taking out the Group III Prix Djebel (1400m) at Deauville as a short priced favourite.
Mitch Cunningham of Ridgmont is still on a high after winning last Saturday’s $4million Group I ATC Doncaster Mile with Stefi Magnetica and his week just got better when a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Egyptian Missile sold for $1.2million at Inglis Easter to give the Hunter Valley nursery it’s first million dollar yearling.
The last time Tom Magnier put his name to a million-dollar Wootton Bassett colt it was this year’s Golden Slipper runner-up Wodeton and he went to $1.4milllion to buy a colt from Yarraman Park on Day Two at Easter on Monday.
The flat racing season has kicked off in Europe with three quality races for new season three year-olds at Leopardstown overnight producing a quinella for Wootton Bassett (GB), a blue-blood Kingman filly for Juddmonte and two of the three winners were trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners.
Two strong juvenile maiden races at Randwick on Wednesday very nearly produced a winning double for Coolmore based shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) with his colt Regulated Affair missing by a whisker on debut and then his talented filly Wootton Lass made amends with a stylish victory at her second start.
The $5million Group I ATC Golden Slipper used to have a massive bearing on the 2YO sires list by earnings and whoever sired the winner was a moral to take Champion 2YO Sire honours, but with a proliferation of $1million juvenile races that is no longer the case.
The $750,000 Group I ATC Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on Saturday attracted a crackerjack field of serious G1 talent and when they got to the winning post it was one of only two runners in the race that was not a G1 winner that got the prize and it was the glorious Wootton Basset import Royal Patronage (Fr).
State Visit is the first foal of Oakleigh Plate winner Celebrity Queen that Coolmore paid a sale-topping $2.5million for at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in 2021, and he produced an outstanding debut with a hard finishing victory at Canterbury on Friday night.