Aestrerius and James Doyle © Photo Healy Racing
Wathnan Racing launch a two-pronged assault on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Friday, as their leading hope Aesterius continues his rivalry with Big Mojo at Del Mar.
The Emir of Qatar’s racing operation will be represented by both Archie Watson’s Aesterius and Karl Burke’s Shareholder, with retained rider James Doyle pinning his colours to the mast of the Watson runner when choosing between the pair.
The hardy son of Mehmas has won four of his six starts and arrives on an upward trajectory after landing the Flying Childers at Doncaster in September.
That race was won last year by Big Evs before storming to glory at Santa Anita, and connections are hopeful Aesterius’ natural speed and banked experience can come to the fore.
“James has decided to ride Aesterius, it was not an easy decision at all actually,” said Richard Brown, the owners’ racing adviser.
“Luckily we had William Buick ready to ride whichever James didn’t and he took quite a long time making his mind up, but he had to in the end and decided on Aesterius.
“He’s had more runs and is coming into it on the back of a couple of stakes wins and is a pretty streetwise character, he’s got a great temperament for travelling, he breaks well and can travel well up on the pace and he’s also very fast. This should be right up his alley, hopefully.
Shareholder will always have a special place in the Wathnan affections, with the Norfolk Stakes hero a part of their fabulous four-timer at Royal Ascot.
Things did not go to plan for the Spigot Lodge inmate when upped in trip for the Prix Morny but freshened up since, and with the screw tightened on a recent away day at Southwell, he is backed to showcase the ability that saw him thrive in his first two outings.
“We didn’t have the smoothest passage into the Prix Morny, just a few niggly things,” continued Brown.
“The ground and the trip that day was wrong. I think five furlongs on rattling ground is exactly what he needs. He is very fast and will like the ground.
“It looks like a recovery mission on paper, but Karl and his team couldn’t be happier with the horse and the way he is training and I get the feeling Karl thinks he’s in the best shape he has had him in all year.
“They have both won juvenile Group Twos having been bought at the breeze-up sales and this has been the target for both of them, we’re excited about seeing them both run.”
Mick Appleby enjoyed one of the finest moments in his career when winning this race 12 months ago and now Big Mojo will attempt to provide the Rutland handler with a double in one of the Breeders’ Cup’s opening contests.
Like Big Evs, Big Mojo will carry the colours of Crystal Palace-supporting Paul Teasdale and he has plenty of history with big-race rival Aesterius having won the battle in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood before going down by a neck in the rematch at Doncaster.
The duo will settle the scoreline in California, with Appleby buoyed by the way the son of Mohaather handled the bend in a pre-Breeders’ Cup gallop at Southwell.
“He’s ended up with a decent draw and hopefully he jumps well and can be up there just behind the leaders,” said Appleby.
“He worked well at Southwell and went round the bend really well. Tom (Marquand, jockey) was really happy with him and said he sort of switched onto the right lead coming round the bend, which is encouraging and he seemed to handle it well.
“He’s pretty quick and drawn three, I think that will be ideal for him. He’s in good order and I think he will go well.”
Aidan O’Brien saddles both Prix Morny scorer Whistlejacket (Ryan Moore) and the unexposed Ides Of March (Frankie Dettori), with Ger Lyons’ Flying Childers third Magnum Force and Adrian Murray’s Arizona Blaze other raiders from Ireland.
O’Brien said: “Whistlejacket is good, we’re happy. Ryan thought the last day (when second in the Middle Park Stakes) he maybe should have gone forward more urgently from the stalls and kept going, but he still ran well.
“We think he’s a quick horse and whether he finds it a little bit foreign, it’ll be very fast around here, but we think and hope he should run well.”
On Ides Of March, he added: “He’s a fast horse, we think he’s going to be a sprinter for next year. He probably doesn’t know as much about sprinting as Whistlejacket, but he’s going to learn a lot on Friday, so we think that will stand him in good stead for next year.”
Japan look to have a great chance of enhancing their Breeders’ Cup record with the unbeaten Ecoro Sieg, while the best of the home team could well be George Weaver’s Governor Sam who has won his last four.
