Flying Start For Donworth With Trio Of Juvenile Winners

DEAUVILLE, France–Back at Arqana's yearling sale in August, Tim Donworth had just left the employment of Jean-Claude Rouget with a view to setting out his own stall from Sept. 1. The racing gods have smiled kindly in the meantime, and the 27-year-old is now almost eight weeks into his training career with three winners and a second from just five starters. 

Those three victories have all come during this week's sale at Arqana, starting on Sunday at Le Mans with Cotai Hero (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) and, like buses, the second winner coming along almost immediately the next day at Clairefontaine when She's Evaporust (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) struck in the trainer's own colours. 

Perhaps most importantly, however, was Donworth's third 2-year-old winner, Allada (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), on Thursday. The homebred filly of family friend Kirsten Rausing looked extremely polished on debut to win convincingly over the heavy turf at Deauville in a newcomers' maiden and already has her trainer dreaming of next season.

“To have my mum and dad and everyone close to me here is very special,” said Donworth after greeting Allada in the winner's enclosure in heavy rain with his parents Bobby and Honora Donworth of Round Hill Stud and a group of friends. The filly has also contributed to a record year for Rausing as the 13th juvenile winner this season to have been bred at her Lanwades Stud.

“It is the most wonderful thing to have a winner for Kirsten in her colours. She gave me so much confidence and sent me a lovely filly, and I'm just so happy that I could prepare her and have her right for the day. She's a beautiful filly but I didn't want to dream of winning again, especially in Deauville, but we knew she was good and she is going to be my filly for next year now. I'm so delighted for Kirsten and I am so lucky have such a good team, including Jason who rides her at home.”

Allada will not be the only representative of her sire at Donworth's Chantilly yard, which he rents from his former boss Nicolas Clement. On Monday at Arqana he bought a Sea The Moon filly from the Wildenstein family of Arc winner Peintre Celebre for €62,000 from Haras de Beaufay, and he has another filly on the way from the Tattersalls October Sale for new American owners in the stable.

He continued, “I am very happy to say I have a nice Sea The Moon from Book 1 for LNJ Foxwoods, so I'm lucky to have a nice team of Sea The Moons for next year and we have some nice yearlings coming. I have about 10 to come in so far so we should have a team of about 20 horses for next year.”