By Tom Frary
Wathnan Racing's Shareholder (Not This Time–Cloudy Dancer {GB}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) had only announced himself a G2 Norfolk Stakes candidate 12 days ago when winning Beverley's Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes and made light of the quick turnaround to capture the Royal Ascot prize. Held on to by James Doyle early among the group racing up the centre, the Karl Burke-trained 12-1 shot was in front passing the two-furlong pole and asserted to score by a length from Tropical Storm (GB) (Eqtidaar {Ire}), with a head back to Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev) who narrowly denied the red-hot 10-11 favourite Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never) a placing.
“He's still learning, his debut was a bit messy at Beverley which is a hard place to teach a horse,” Doyle said of the colt, who recorded the third-fastest time in the race's history at Ascot and was just two ticks off Valiant Force's time of 12 months earlier. “I tried to keep a lid on him for as long as possible, as I just wanted to give him time to get organised. He took time to get balanced up but, once he did, he always felt as though he had enough in the tank to keep going. He's got a big engine. Karl was very confident and when he is that confident, you respect his opinion.”
Burke is thinking predominantly of sprinting with the winner and this “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint has opened several doors. “Shareholder did a lot wrong first time, but I knew he'd step forward from that, even physically and although he was two or three kilos lighter coming here today he looked bigger and stronger,” he explained. “I think this is a very good horse and he'll stay six furlongs as well–I would say he's speed and I'm sure he'll be a Commonwealth Cup horse. I don't think he'll be a Guineas horse, he hasn't shown us that, although he relaxed very well today so I suppose he has a chance.”
For Wathnan Racing's bloodstock advisor Richard Brown, this was validation of his judgment at the Breeze-Up. “It is very hard, as you are up against breeding operations which have been going for 30 or 40 years and that really is the way to get the Derby-type horses, so we said if we could get some sharp juveniles it would give us some action coming through,” he said. “With Olly Tait, we put together a proposal to buy some breeze-up horses with a view to maybe having a couple that could get to Ascot. What has happened in the past two days, you couldn't even dream it would go like this.”
“All credit to Karl Burke and his team. It is important to mention Richard Morgan-Evans and his team in Newmarket. Every horse we buy goes to Richard and they have a tailor-made, individual programme which involves immediate turnout in paddocks and giving them that recovery time,” he added. “Richard is a very important part of the process. It is usually said that it's too tight a turnaround to get a horse from the Arqana Sale to Royal Ascot, but we like a challenge and I thought this was the horse to do it.”
Andrew Balding said of Tropical Storm, “He can mix it at a high level. He's done very little wrong. He is still a maiden, which is a bit frustrating, but his time will come, I'm sure.” Oisin Murphy added, “I have a lot of belief in Tropical Storm. I said before the race that he's probably the best maiden in the country and that was a super run. He has size and a big future.”
Arizona Blaze's trainer Adrian Murray said, “He's a gorgeous horse, a beautiful horse. He would be very much on a par with [last year's winner] Valiant Force, but this fellow is probably more mature–built like a three-year-old. He has a lot of strength about him.”
Wathnan strike again! Shareholder wins the Norfolk Stakes at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/iKPXaB5eL3
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 20, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Shareholder, a €460,000 Arqana May Breeze Up graduate, is out of the unraced Cloudy Dancer who is a daughter of the listed winner Ronaldsay (GB) (Kirkwall {GB}) and half to the sire Gale Force Ten (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who took the G3 Jersey S. at this meeting a year after placing in this and was placed in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and G1 Middle Park S. She is also a half to the listed scorer and group 3-placed Rousay (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), while the family also includes the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Bianca Nera (GB) (Salse), the G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Falmouth Stakes heroine Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill), her G1 Criterium International-winning son Proud And Regal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the triple graded-stakes winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road), another Royal Ascot winner who is G2 Hardwicke Stakes-bound on Saturday. She has been bred to Street Sense for 2024.
Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
NORFOLK S.-G2, £150,000, Ascot, 6-20, 2yo, 5fT, :59.77, g/f.
1–SHAREHOLDER, 129, c, 2, by Not This Time
1st Dam: Cloudy Dancer (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ronaldsay (GB), by Kirkwall (GB)
3rd Dam: Crackling (GB), by Electric (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. ($62,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; €460,000 2yo '24 ARQBRU). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Skyfall Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Karl Burke; J-James Doyle. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $140,980. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tropical Storm (GB), 129, c, 2, Eqtidaar (Ire)–Avon Breeze (GB), by Avonbridge (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (22,000gns Wlg '22 TADEWE; 50,000gns Ylg '23 TATSOM). O-Teme Valley; B-Hellwood Stud Farm & R C Dollar (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £32,250.
3–Arizona Blaze (GB), 129, c, 2, Sergei Prokofiev–Liberisque (GB), by Equiano (Fr). (36,000gns Wlg '22 TADEWE; £82,000 Ylg '23 GOFFUK). O-AMO Racing Limited & Giselle De Aguiar; B-Andrew Bengough & Partners (GB); T-Adrian Murray. £16,140.
Margins: 1, HD, SHD. Odds: 12.00, 11.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Whistlejacket (Ire), Aesterius (Ire), Binadham (Ire), Loom (Ire), Moving Force (Ire), Blinky (Ire), Saturday Flirt, Milford (GB), The Man (Ire), Rock Hunter (GB). Scratched: Evening Saigon (Ire).
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