Tag Archive for: English Oak

Walker hoping English Oak can leave Ascot rivals trailing

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English Oak returns to the scene of his finest hour looking to regain the winning thread in Ascot’s John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes on Saturday.

Ed Walker’s four-year-old won the Buckingham Palace Stakes in the summer, while his only other appearance at the Berkshire venue saw him narrowly denied by Rohaan in handicap company on this very card 12 months ago.

That came over six furlongs – the distance he reverts to here after testing his mettle in stakes company since his triumph at the Royal meeting.

The highest rated of the nine facing the starter, connections are confident he can continue his Ascot love affair in this end-of-season Group Three.

“He’s coming back to six furlongs and I thought he didn’t 100 per cent get home at Newbury last time. He’s showing plenty of speed, so we just wanted to try the stiff six at Ascot with him,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing.

“He ran very well on his last start last year over the course and distance and we are looking forward to seeing him go back to Ascot.

“I think there is no doubt Ascot is quite a specialist track and he has run there twice and won the Buckingham Palace very impressively and ran a big race behind Rohaan. I’m hoping we can see a similar performance now he’s back there.”

Another course specialist is Owen Burrows’ Jarraaf, who bids for a course-and-distance hat-trick stepping out of handicap company following some commanding victories of late, while Charlie Fellowes’ Vadream won this event in 2021 before going close after trouble in running 12 months ago.

A top-level operator on testing ground, her handler has been encouraged by the rainfall earlier in the week and is eager to draw a line through her most recent effort down at the minimum trip in the Flying Five Stakes.

“She won the race a couple of years ago and ran a cracker in it last year, she loves Ascot and hopefully she can run a big race,” said Fellowes.

“The run at the Curragh last time, it just wasn’t soft enough. They had a bit of rain beforehand, but it just wasn’t anywhere near soft enough over five furlongs and she just never got into it. This will be much more up her street.

“I don’t mind conditions over six furlongs and when she ran well in the Haydock Sprint Cup it was only good to soft – it is over five furlongs where she could do with it bottomless.”

Andrew Balding’s Purosangue was a neck second to Stuart Williams’ Quinault at York when last seen and is another to perform favourably at this venue, while Karl Burke’s consistent Korker was just behind Purosangue on the Knavesmire before also placing in the Spigot Lodge handler’s Ayr Gold Cup domination last month.

Adaay In Devon has been kept very busy by Rod Millman this term and has some smart form figures to her name, while useful handicappers Wiltshire (William Haggas), Apollo One (Peter Charalambous and James Clutterbuck) and Russet Gold (Roger Varian) complete the line-up.



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Almaqam in frame for York outing

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Almaqam is a possible for the Sky Bet York Stakes on Saturday week, with Ed Walker keen to test his star colt’s credentials over a mile and a quarter.

A winner at Yarmouth on his return before stepping up to Listed level to claim the Heron Stakes in fine style at Sandown, he was pitched into the top company at Royal Ascot, contesting a red-hot renewal of the St James’s Palace Stakes.

Although not disgraced behind Rosallion in that Group One event, his trainer somewhat wishes he had made the call to move up in trip from a mile for the Hampton Court Stakes at the Royal meeting.

He could now make that switch to 10 furlongs, with York’s Group Two contest seen as the ideal place to explore what the son of Lope De Vega has in the locker over further.

“I probably should have run him in the Hampton Court (at Ascot) in hindsight, but I was wary of going a stiff 10 furlongs having been so good over a mile at Sandown,” explained Walker.

“I think a number of things played against him at Ascot – the ground and the tempo of the race in that higher grade against some exceptionally good horses.”

He went on: “He was very impressive in the final two furlongs once he got organised coming round the bend and I think there is a lot more to come from him and we might see him on Saturday week in the York Stakes.

“I want to see him over an easy 10 furlongs and it will give him a bit more of a chance to find his rhythm. I just want him to be able to jump, travel and get into a rhythm a bit more and then we will really see what he can do in the final two furlongs.”

The Lambourn handler is also preparing to step his Royal Ascot winner English Oak up to group company in the World Pool Lennox Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

English Oak after winning at Royal Ascot
English Oak after winning at Royal Ascot (PA)

One of Wathnan Racing’s four winners at Ascot, he was a commanding three-length winner of the Buckingham Palace Stakes, with his handler confident his seven-furlong specialist can make his mark against tougher opposition.

“English Oak is in cracking form, he worked well yesterday and will head to the Lennox,” continued Walker.

“It’s a step up in grade but he’s well and we will see how he gets on. He’s rated 108 now and he has to kind of run in a Listed or a Group race.

“Seven furlongs is a bit of a specialist trip and there isn’t that many opportunities, so we’ll head to Goodwood and see how we get on and I’m sure he will run a big race.”



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Haatem heading straight back up in trip after Jersey success

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Jersey Stakes scorer Haatem will return to racing over a mile – and possibly further – after it was a case of job done over shorter at Royal Ascot.

The Craven Stakes winner placed in both the 2000 Guineas and the Irish equivalent earlier in the season, but as one of the feature acquisitions of Wathnan Racing’s pre-Ascot recruitment drive, a plan was hatched to drop Richard Hannon’s likeable colt back to seven furlongs at the Royal meeting.

Despite a red-hot cast lying in wait for the Group Three event, the son of Phoenix Of Spain proved up to the task, showing both his guts and class to see off Kikkuli by a short head and cap a fine week for his Qatar-based owners.

“I haven’t overly compared them but it felt like the best Jersey for a number of years, with the biggest field for a number of years, and that wasn’t really what I was planning,” said Wathnan racing adviser Richard Brown when reflecting on Haatem’s success.

“I was thinking he would be a 116-rated horse with a 3lb penalty in a race he could probably deal with quite easily.

“It looked like the Coolmore team were pretty sweet on River Tiber, that’s what the market showed and I was pretty nervous. I was relieved it paid off and he is such a complete warrior and faultless in every way.

“He battled when the other horse came to him and luckily it was the first photo to go our way. We were delighted we won because there was a lot of pressure on that one.”

Haatem and James Doyle after winning the Jersey Stakes
Haatem and James Doyle after winning the Jersey Stakes (John Walton/PA)

Haatem is now set to return to the distance that saw him perform so admirably in Classic company earlier in the season and although keen to avoid a third clash of the year with St James’s Palace Stakes-winning stablemate Rosallion, a return to the highest level is on the cards.

“He will go back up to a mile almost certainly and I think we will explore further in time,” continued Brown.

“I think we will try to avoid Rosallion but all options are open at this stage. I would imagine he will go back up to Group One company and races like the Sussex and Jacques le Marois will come into play.”

Although Haatem is departing the seven-furlong scene almost quicker than he entered it, Wathnan have a ready-made replacement to fill the void in impressive Buckingham Palace Stakes scorer English Oak.

English Oak and connections after winning at Royal Ascot
English Oak and connections after winning at Royal Ascot (PA)

A member of Wathnan’s quartet of winners at the Royal fixture, Ed Walker’s progressive four-year-old is poised to step out of handicap company for a shot at the World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood on July 30.

“I was delighted with him at Ascot and we’ve kind of always followed this horse,” said Brown.

“It was a performance that will take him out of handicaps now and into stakes company and let’s see if he can hold his own.

“I think the Lennox looks a very obvious option and when you have won with that impressive manner over seven furlongs, it seems silly to change.

“We’ve kept him in the July Cup and we will keep an eye on it, but I certainly think it’s most likely the Lennox is going to be choice one.”



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