Robert Havlin

Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa's homebred 2-year-old filly Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Sovereign Parade {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) backed up a July 30 debut victory at Newmarket's July course with a taking score in last month's G2 Rockfel S. and stepped forward to provide veteran rider Rab Havlin with a first Group 1 triumph in Friday's G1 bet365 Fillies' Mile back at the town's Rowley Mile venue. The 8-13 favourite was alert from the traps and was positioned in a close-up sixth through the early stages. Tanking forward to go...

Newmarket's Cambridgeshire meeting is always a hotbed of future Classic prospects and Friday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Rockfel S. unearthed one of the most exciting from Britain in 2022 as Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa's Commissioning (GB) (Kingman {GB}) maintained her unbeaten record in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Nov. 4 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Impressive in a July Course novice over this seven-furlong trip that has worked out well July 30, the John and Thady Gosden-trained bay was always travelling smoothly for...

George Strawbridge's 4-year-old filly Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Alive Alive Oh {GB}, by Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) prevailed in three out of four starts last term and closed her sophomore campaign with a seven-length rout in September's G3 Park Hill S. at Doncaster. She was sent postward as the 11-4 joint-favourite for Saturday's G2 bet365 Lancashire Oaks, her seasonal return, and overcame severe traffic problems in the closing stages of the 12-furlong test to register a career high in taking fashion. The eventual winner settled into a smooth rhythm behind...

Frankie Dettori will not ride for John and Thady Gosden at Newmarket on Saturday, with the trainers calling on James Doyle and Robert Havlin, despite the fact that the legendary jockey rides for Ralph Backett on the same card. Dettori has ridden Sunray Major (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in all bar one of his eight starts, but has been replaced by Doyle to ride the half-brother to Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G3 House Of Cavani Menswear Criterion S. Havlin, so often relegated to the substitutes bench by Dettori...

Cheveley Park Stud's hitherto unraced Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) went off as a 15-2 chance for the first division of Friday's 888sport British EBF Novice S. at Newmarket, a contest won in 2019 by last term's G2 Derby Italiano hero Tuscan Gaze (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and came home by daylight to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with an impressive debut display. He recovered from a slightly awkward getaway to stalk the pace out wide through halfway. Powering to the front on the bridle approaching the quarter-mile marker, Audience was shaken...

Green when runner-up in her Aug. 2 unveiling tackling one mile at Kempton, George Strawbridge's homebred 2-year-old filly Natasha (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a half-sister to Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), returned to the scene of that defeat to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with an imperious performance in Friday's Try Our New Price Boosts At Unibet Fillies' Novice S. over the same one-mile strip. Sent forward to gain an early lead after breaking fourth from the outside gate, the 8-11 favourite  was untroubled on the front end throughout and powered...

Hampered in the straight when 12th contesting Chantilly's June 6 G1 Prix du Jockey Club last time, Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred 3-year-old colt Megallan (GB) (Kingman {GB}) gained some measure of recompense with a career-high win dropping down to a mile for Thursday's G3 D & N Construction Sovereign S. at Salisbury. The April-foaled bay had earlier secured a stakes breakthrough when successful in Newcastle's Apr. 2 Listed Burradon S. and followed up with a May 13 G2 Dante S. second at York in his penultimate start. He tracked the tempo...

Passed over by Frankie Dettori and one of the outsiders for Thursday's G2 Ribblesdale S., Loving Dream (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}) who carries the colours of Trevor Harris's Lordship Stud nevertheless held the John and Thady Gosden stable's bragging rights as she showed admirable toughness to upgrade her profile. Sent forward from her wide draw by Robert Havlin and avoiding the scrimmaging between keen-going fillies toward the rail as a result, the 18-1 shot stayed out of trouble tracking the leader Dubai Fountain (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) throughout the early stages. Committed...

Jockey Rob Havlin was banned for three weeks by the Lingfield stewards after finishing second aboard John and Thady Gosden's 16-1 second string Stowell (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) on Wednesday evening. The Sky Sports Racing HD Virgin 535 Novice S. was won by fellow Gosden trainee Polling Day (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) with Frankie Dettori in the irons as the 2-9 crowd's pick. Havlin's mount met with some traffic throughout the race, but was making up ground while under a conservative ride to miss by a head. There was a...

Jockey Robert 'Rab' Havlin registered his 1,000th career winner when Pitcher's Point (Medaglia d'Oro) led throughout in the Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Novice S. at Lingfield. Havlin, who has spent a large portion of his career based at John Gosden's powerful Newmarket stable, brought the 10-11 favourite home an easy three-length winner from market rival London Arch (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). It was fitting that his landmark success came on a horse trained by Gosden. Among his career highlights Havlin has ridden the likes of Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}),...

Look up the race records of Enable (GB), Stradivarius (Ire), Cracksman (GB), Jack Hobbs (GB) and Without Parole (GB) and you'll find that, bar the fact that they are all Group 1 winners to have been trained by John Gosden, they have something else in common. These top horses, along with plenty of others in the stable, were all ridden to victory on their debuts by Robert Havlin, better known simply as 'Rab'. The Scotsman is the epitome of the loyal second jockey. With his humility and the fact that...