Golden Horn was represented by two smart Flat winners over the weekend when Juddmonte’s Haskoy returned to win the G3 Al Rayyan Stakes at Newbury and Goldenas lifted the G2 Derby Italiano in Rome. Their success followed the Listed victory of Wonderful Times in the Prix Urban Sea at Le Lion d’Angers.
Haskoy, whose dam Natavia (Nathaniel) was a rare 600,000gns October Book 1 purchase for Juddmonte, has been campaigned lightly by Ralph Beckett with all the hallmarks of a filly who could make up into a top-class stayer in time. She won on debut last July and went straight to York to win the Listed Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes before finishing second past the post in the St Leger. She was later demoted to fourth place, having been judged to have caused interference in the closing stages. Under wraps since then, Haskoy was produced beautifully to win on her seasonal resumption over 1m4f, beating a field which included Godolphin’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir.
“I’d be pretty confident she’d stay the Gold Cup trip,” Beckett told the Racing Post. “She wasn’t stopping in the St Leger and I feel her pedigree is stamina-laden. She switched off well today considering how well she was and I’m really pleased. The St Leger was frustrating. She was still green today and she’s got quite a round action, but every time she has run she’s surprised me, so I wouldn’t be afraid of fast ground.”
On Sunday, Italy’s most valuable race day was led by the Derby Italiano, won by the Endo Botti-trained Goldenas, who has now won three of his four starts. Bred in Ireland by Austin Curran, Goldenas hails from an illustrious German family, which includes our own Schiaparelli, who is a full-brother to Goldenas’s grand-dam Sortita (Monsun).
Wonderful Times was bred by Ballylinch Stud and started her career in the colours of Normandie Stud, for whom she won last October in Nottingham when trained by John and Thady Gosden. She is now under the care of Mario Baratti in Chantilly and landed Listed honours on her second start for him, having finished fourth in the Listed Prix Zarkava at Longchamp in April.
