By Sean Cronin
Hugo Palmer trainee The Waco Kid (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}–Catchingsnowflakes, by Galileo {Ire}) served a three-race stakes apprenticeship after graduating over six furlongs at Newbury in July and made a black-type breakthrough with a pillar-to-post triumph in Thursday's G3 Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket.
The January-foaled bay bettered an Aug. 2 fifth in Goodwood's G2 Richmond Stakes with a fourth in the Aug. 21 G3 Acomb Stakes at York in his penultimate start and arrived here off the back of a third in this month's Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster.
Quickest on the draw from the stalls to claim an immediate lead and a stands' side berth, the 13-2 chance was shaken up when threatened approaching the quarter-mile marker and found deep reserves up the hill to win, going away, by 2 1/4 lengths from the hitherto unbeaten Diego Ventura (Ire) (Mehmas {GB}) for a career high. The 5-4 favourite Monumental (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) held every chance in the closing stages, but lacked the necessary gears and finished 1 1/4 lengths adrift back in third.
“I think he's very typical of the stallion, who seems to be taking the mantle of Kodiac,” said Palmer. “You would always think, if someone sent you a Kodiac, there was a ready-made winner for next year. I feel the same about Mehmas, 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 2-year-old season as we can and I'm absolutely delighted. He 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 needed to confirm for the [G1] Dewhurst, and that sort of thing, and I probably took him out and out of the [G1 Prix Jean-Luc] Lagardere as well. There's the Group 1 in France, the [Oct. 27] Criterium International, and we might go there. He is in the horses in training sale at the end of the month and he is likely to be one of Tattersalls' star lots there. We will just have to look at dates, the Breeders' Cup could be an option as well, but we will just have to see. I'm sure we will run again and we have five weeks before Tattersalls get their hands on him.”
Hamad Al Jehani was satisfied with the performance of Diego Ventura, who suffered a first reversal in three starts. “It was his first time in a stakes race and I was very happy with him,” the trainer said. “To run in that company of horse, and be second or third favourite on just his third time out, it shows he does his job very well. He handled the seven furlongs well and the ground suited him. I think he deserves to run again at this level, so we will see how he is after a couple of days and make a plan for him.”
Pedigree Notes
The Waco Kid, full-brother to a weanling filly from the family of G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine Danish (Ire) (Danehill), is the first of two registered foals out of an unraced half-sister G1 2000 Guineas-winning sire Kameko (Kitten's Joy). His Grade III-winning second dam Sweeter Still (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) is kin to G1 Racing Post Trophy victor Kingsbarns (Ire), G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial victrix Belle Artiste (Ire) (Namid {GB}) and the dual stakes-placed Elizabethofaragon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
🏆 Tattersalls Stakes 🏆
🥇 The Waco Kid
🥈 Diego Ventura
🥉 Monumental@oismurphy | @MHS_HorseRacing pic.twitter.com/zFrBYOOSGp— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) September 26, 2024
Thursday, Newmarket, Britain
TATTERSALLS STAKES (SOMERVILLE TATTERSALL STAKES)-G3, £60,000, Newmarket, 9-26, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:29.97, sf.
1–THE WACO KID (IRE), 128, c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Catchingsnowflakes, by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Sweeter Still (Ire), by Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire)
3rd Dam: Beltisaal (Fr), by Belmez
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (80,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-The Gene Genies II; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer; J-Oisin Murphy. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 6-2-0-1, $84,689. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Diego Ventura (Ire), 128, c, 2, Mehmas (Ire)–Leoube (Ire), by Kodiac (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€88,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR; €72,000 2yo '24 TATBRU). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Sean Ronan & Caroline Hanly (IRE); T-Hamad Al Jehani. £12,900.
3–Monumental (Ire), 128, c, 2, Kingman (GB)–Riqa (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £6,456.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 6.50, 4.50, 1.25.
Also Ran: Symbol Of Honour (GB), Assertively (Ire), Balzarini (Ger). Scratched: Huscal (Ire).
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