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Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett records stakes winner number 20 later in the day
Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) is standing his first season in Australia this year and on Wednesday Rapid Achiever (4 m ex Diavola by Duke Of Marmalade) - the sire’s first winner in Australia - recorded her second victory when the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained mare won a Benchmark 64 over 1600 metres at Sandown.
Later in the day in Europe, Royal Patronage (2 c ex Shaloushka by Dalakhani) became the sire’s 20th stakes winner when he had no problem in stepping up into stakes company to take out the Acomb Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at York.
Bred in France, Rapid Achiever was bought for €130,000 by John Foote Bloodstock from the draft of Haras d’Etreham at the 2019 Arqana October Yearling Sale and is now unbeaten in two career starts having broken her maiden impressively at Donald on August 1. She had no problems in stepping up in trip to beat White Hibiscus (Animal Kingdom) by a long neck.
“She’s still quite raw and got an excellent ride from Johnny (Allen), who nursed her through the race and when he needed to dig in and find the reserves he did, so I think there’s more to come,” said Eustace.
“She’ll tick through the grades for now, but obviously she’s a mare that we would like to get black type with in the future.”
Later in the day at York, the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned and Mark Johnston-trained Royal Patronage impressed when he stepped into stakes company for the first time. Taken straight to the front from the barriers, Royal Patronage was never caught and he scored a two and a quarter length victory over more fancied rival Imperial Fighter (The Gurkha), with the favourite, Dubawi Legend (Dubawi), another two lengths back in third.
“We decided immediately after Epsom that he was going to step up in class, we looked at the options and this seemed the logical place to come,” said Johnston.
"We'll now go home and think about targets.
“On pedigree, the horse will clearly stay further. I was asked whether he's a Guineas horse, it may be he's more of a Dante horse but time will tell."
Bought by John & Jake Warren for 62,000gns at Book 1 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Royal Patronage has now won two of his four career starts and placed second for earning of £64,113. He is the first winner out of Shaloushka (Dalakhani), a winning three-quarter sister to Shalapour (Darshaan), who placed third in the 2005 Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f).
Wootton Bassett is the sire of three Group One winners in Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor, Audarya, Wooded and Incarville and Royal Patronage was his sire's ninth juvenile stakes winner. He had 16 lots sold at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale earlier this week, averaging €154,188 (approximately $250,000) and his fee has been set at $71,500 (inc GST) this spring.