By Sean Cronin
Wathnan Racing struck the woodwork more than once during Tuesday's opening day of Royal Ascot and made a belated breakthrough in Wednesday's opener, the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, with £190,000 Goffs Breeze-Up acquisition and once-raced Nottingham maiden winner Leovanni (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}–Kassandra {Ire}, by Dandy Man {Ire}).
The Karl Burke trainee broke smartly and raced to the fore in the smaller far-side group throughout the five-furlong dash. Shaken up to gain an overall advantage soon after passing the quarter-mile marker, the 22-1 chance refused to buckle once in front and was driven out inside the final furlong to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths from Irish raider Mighty Eriu (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}). The winner's Yorkshire compatriot Maw Lam (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) finished a neck further adrift in the third.
“She's got a fantastic mind, not just for a 2-year-old, but for a breeze-up 2-year-old she's unbelievable,” said Burke, who won this contest in 2022 with subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}). “I am sure she'll stay six furlongs as she's so relaxed and that will be a great help to her going forward.”
Rider James Doyle added, “I think anytime you get a winner early on in the week is quite nice, but it is especially so this year. We know there's a lot of work that's been put in behind the scenes at Wathnan Racing to get a select group of horses that are targeted for this meeting, so the pressure is on to perform. To get a winner early on in the week can only help. I was pleased with Leovanni on debut and she won like a potentially smart filly, but it's so hard to tell. I won this race before on a filly called Rizeena for Clive Britain [in 2013] and I would say this filly has all the class that she had. The raw speed, the ability to relax, the temperament and being versatile with the ground. There is a lot to look forward to with her.”
Runner-up Mighty Eriu retains maiden status after finding one too good once again and trainer Gavin Cromwell was delighted with the effort. “That was a great run and we certainly can't complain. We needed to wait a while for the gap to open, she went through it well and won her race on her side. She probably got a little bit lonely in front of her bunch, but it was a lovely run and I'm delighted. She's got a great attitude and great mind to her and she will keep improving.”
Adrian Nicholls was similarly pleased with the performance of third-place finisher Maw Lam. “I am delighted,” he said. “I don't have the firepower that a lot of teams have. She's my only runner, so you're coming down here with hope. They went fast and she finished strong, so to get black type in the Queen Mary is brilliant. We'll see what the team want to do, maybe a Listed race, and then onwards to better things, hopefully.”
The result was met with ecstasy by Ciara and Michael Carty of Kilmoney Cottage Stud, who bred Leovanni and still have the mare Kassandra (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) on the farm in Rathangan, County Kildare.
Ciara said, “We're bouncing around the yard here–we probably should be over there! We've only five mares. It's amazing. We've three homebreds and one pinhook running at Ascot this week so it's amazing.”
She added, “We had Kerdos (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), who was fifth in the King Charles Stakes on Tuesday and his half-brother Dark Vintage (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) runs on Friday as well. We also have Koy Koy (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) to look forward to tomorrow and obviously Leovanni has just won today.”
Leovanni was sold initially by Kilmoney Cottage Stud for 20,000gns at the Book 3 session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year.
“She was a fabulous filly. Tom Biggs of Blandford Bloodstock bought her on behalf of George Peckham and I believe her breeze was amazing.”
Carty added, “The mare is still around which is very important. She has a filly foal by Ghaiyyath (Ire) and is back in foal to Ghaiyyath.”
Star filly! Leovanni storms to victory in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/3X5LXKtuWq
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 19, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Leovanni, who becomes the third pattern-race winner for her sire, is the fourth of five foals and one of two winners produced by a full-sister to G2 Coventry Stakes, G2 Gimcrack Stakes and G2 Vintage Stakes placegetter Parbold (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). The April-foaled bay's dam Kassandra (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) is also a half-sister to dual Group-placed dual Listed City Plate winner Majestic Myles (Ire) (Majestic Missile {Ire}) and to the dam of G3 Amethyst Stakes victor Power Under Me (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Leovanni's third dam Style N' Elegance (Alysheba) is kin to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-winning matriarch Trusted Partner (Affirmed). Kassandra, who has a weanling filly by Ghaiyyath (Ire) to come, was bred back to Ghaiyyath this year.
Wednesday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN MARY S.-G2, £150,000, Ascot, 6-19, 2yo, f, 5fT, :59.60, g/f.
1–LEOVANNI (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Kodi Bear (Ire)
1st Dam: Kassandra (Ire), by Dandy Man (Ire)
2nd Dam: Gala Style (Ire), by Elnadim
3rd Dam: Style N' Elegance, by Alysheba
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (20,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT; £190,000 2yo '24 GOUKB). O-Wathnan Racing; B-KCS Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Karl Burke; J-James Doyle. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $112,860. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mighty Eriu (Ire), 128, f, 2, Inns Of Court (Ire)–Teeline (Ire), by Exceed And Excel (Aus). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€30,000 Wlg '22 GOFNO1; €16,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR2). O-Qatar Racing Ltd & Fergus Galvin; B-Brian Canning & Tom Kelly (IRE); T-Gavin Cromwell. £32,250.
3–Maw Lam (Ire), 128, f, 2, Acclamation (GB)–Bobbi Grace (Ire), by Big Bad Bob (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€52,000 Wlg '22 GOFNO1; £100,000 Ylg '23 GOFFUK). O-C R Hirst; B-Brickfield Stud Ltd (IRE); T-Adrian Nicholls. £16,140.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, NK. Odds: 22.00, 50.00, 50.00.
Also Ran: Miss Lamai (Ire), Miss Rascal (GB), Xanthe (Ire), Oxford Rock (Ire), Betty Clover (GB), Amestris (GB), Flash The Cash (Ire), Adrestia (GB), Kassaya (GB), Truly Enchanting (Ire), Englemere (Ire), Sands Of Havana (GB), Seraphim Angel (GB), Enchanting Empress (GB), Ruby's Profit (Ire), Kiss Me My Love (Ire), Ultima Grace, Spherical (GB), Where's Clare (Ire), Make Haste (GB), Flicka's Girl (GB). Scratched: Glorious Kitty (Ire), Kuwaitya (Ire).
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