Tag Archive for: The Waco Kid

The Waco Kid could enter Lagardere equation

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Hugo Palmer is “weighing up” a quick return to action for The Waco Kid and supplementing for Sunday’s Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere following his recent Tattersalls Stakes victory at Newmarket.

A consistent performer since stepping into stakes company, the tough son of Mehmas got his reward for some fine efforts in defeat when scooping Group Three honours with relative ease on the Rowley Mile last Thursday.

His handler was left pondering his options in the immediate aftermath, as having proven his readiness for a step up to the highest level, The Waco Kid was without entries for the upcoming Group One contests.

Palmer, along with owners The Gene Genies, are now giving real consideration to Sunday’s top-level event at ParisLongchamp, where it would cost €28,800 at Thursday’s supplementary stage for the hardy youngster to enter the fray.

“We’re weighing up whether to supplement for the Lagardere,” said Palmer.

“I’m very happy with the horse since Newmarket, he very tough, takes his racing very well and doesn’t lose any weight. He’s come out of the race looking fantastic and was squealing away the next morning and has been in great nick since.

“It’s €28,8000 so it needs plenty of thinking, but the nice thing is we can see to a degree who is going to run. There were 12 left in the race this morning and we will just have to see how many of them stand their ground.

“I think to supplement and go and be in a 12-runner race we might feel that is not the right opportunity, but if the race slightly fell apart and horses weren’t going, it might seem worth having a crack.”

If the decision is made not to make a trip to Paris, The Waco Kid is likely to head straight to Del Mar to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

He could be joined in California by stablemate and National Stakes third Seagulls Eleven, with the colt – who carries the colours of Brighton & Hove Albion and counts Seagulls star James Milner among his owners – also in contention for a trip Stateside.

Palmer added: “We’re pretty keen on the Breeders’ Cup plan for The Waco Kid, so it is just a question of do we go to France before America. If we don’t go to France I’d have thought it would be straight to the Breeders’ Cup.

“The Dewhurst will be a stronger race than France, I would have thought. He’s entered in the horses in training sale (October 28 to November 1), but if he’s going to go to the Breeders’ Cup then he won’t be able to go (to the sale).

“I think we might be two-handed in the race and I’m pretty sure Seagulls Eleven will go there as well.

“We will leave him in the Dewhurst on Monday morning and have a look and then it will just be a case of deciding if we run in the Dewhurst before the Breeders’ Cup.”



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The Waco Kid powers to Tattersalls triumph

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The Waco Kid kept his rivals at bay with an accomplished run to make all in the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket.

Jockey Oisin Murphy immediately grabbed the inside rail at the start of the seven-furlong contest and looked comfortable setting the early pace.

The Hugo Palmer-trained juvenile remained at arm’s length from his five rivals before Hamad Al Jehani’s Diego Ventura and market leader Monumental, representing Aidan O’Brien, made their charge after the halfway mark.

The Waco Kid en route to victory in the Tattersalls Stakes
The Waco Kid eased to victory in the Tattersalls Stakes (Mike Egerton/PA)

They closed the gap inside the final two furlongs but just as they looked to be reeling in The Waco Kid, he found an extra gear to streak clear.

The 13-2 shot claimed victory by two and quarter lengths to inflict Diego Ventura’s first defeat as he secured place honours with Monumental in third.

Palmer said: “I think he’s very typical of the stallion and Mehmas seems to be taking the mantle of Kodiac and you would always think if someone sent you a Kodiac, there was a ready-made winner for next year and I feel the same about Mehmas as well. They are just so tough and go on every ground.

“This has to be a career best and I think what is lovely about this horse is he has produced career best after career best on every start.

“He’s not the biggest in the world and we’ve tried to make as much of his two-year-old season as we can and I’m absolutely delighted.

“He probably deserves a step up in grade but I suspect I’ve made the most terrible mess of it because he did have nice entries. I think after he was only Listed third and I needed to confirm for the Dewhurst and that sort of thing, I probably took him out and out of the Lagardere as well.

“There’s the Group One in France, the Criterium International, we might go there, but we will see. Saint-Cloud would look his bag but he is not the biggest and he is in the horses in training sale at the end of the month.

“We will just have to look at dates and he is likely to be one of Tattersalls’ star lots there. The Breeders’ Cup could be an option as well, but we will just have to see.

“This is the second iteration of the owners syndicate (Gene Genies) and the first one will wind up this year and not be profitable but if we could sell this lad well, then it would have been a profitable syndicate and we can start buying horses for next year’s syndicate as well.

“I’m sure we will run again and we have five weeks before Tattersalls get their hands on him.”

Murphy said: “Hugo felt it was a good opportunity today and said I should make more use of him and maybe grab the rail.

“It’s rare he has an instruction but he really made it worthwhile and I’m delighted to get the job done.

“He looked like on his last run he would appreciate being ridden prominently and he was a simple ride. He has really improved for racing and training.”

Al Jehani was satisfied with Diego Ventura’s effort on a move up in class.

He said: “I was very happy with him and it was his first time in a stakes race.

“To run in that company of horse and be second or third favourite on his third time out, it shows he does his job very well.

“He handled the seven furlongs very well and the ground was very nice for him. We will see how he is after a couple of days and make a plan for him.

“I think he deserves to run again at this level. When he won at Ascot last time, he showed that he can be a stakes horse and the seven furlongs today was very suitable for him. We were happy to see him finish with a big heart.”



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