TDN Q&A With Will Douglass

With the yearling sales now in full swing, TDN quizzes industry figures on past purchases, life during lockdown and their perspective on the sales over the next few weeks. Today, Will Douglass answers our questions.

TDN: What was your best yearling purchase over the last few years? And your favourite?

WD: I bought two fillies with Al Wasmiyah Stud called Traisha (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Dhabyah (GB) (Australia {GB}). Traisha has been listed and Group 3-placed and holds an entry in the G1 British Champions Fillies and Mares S. on Champions Day. Dhabyah won her first start and then was just beaten on her second start, but William Haggas had been encouraging about her so I hope she can take another step forward. Al Wasmiyah is owned by two brothers from Qatar, Ali and Mohamed Bin Hamad, and they are developing a strong broodmare band.

My favourite yearling purchase would be Wet Sail (Henrythenavigator) who I bought with Charlie Fellowes in 2013. He was the first horse we bought together in his first year of training. He was pretty good and after winning his maiden was sold to stay in the yard for a new owner and went to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. He was a flag bearer early on which got both of our names out there.

I purchased Peniaphobia (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) as a horse in training early in my career and he went on to a win a Group 1, multiple group races, be champion sprinter and win over £3.3 million in prize money in Hong Kong. He really helped my business grow over there and put my name on the map.

TDN: Are there any positive you have taken from how the sales have been conducted this year?

WD: I think the market correcting itself is overdue, particularly in the UK. I hope that with the market being down it might encourage people that have otherwise been scared off by the sums of money that yearlings cost to reconsider; perhaps we will get a few new people coming in over the next year or two. We are very lucky to have one of the best resale markets in the world and everyone wants our product, which is a very positive selling point to give to new people. Regardless of the Covid-19 situation that we are faced with people seem to have so much passion for racing and the market has been fairly resilient so far to a level. I think the top level will always hold up, much like it does in the art or property market.

TDN: How has your business adapted?

WD: We have kept in touch with clients as much as possible and already use WhatsApp and Zoom, etc. As we have not been travelling so much we have had more time to look into finding new clients and potential opportunities in the market. It is hard not being able to travel to places and meet people face-to-face which we do a lot of but everyone is in the same boat and it is a situation we all have to make the best of. The online bidding process is something that has to be done in the current climate, but a lot of owners come to the sales for the theatre of it and I fear that will be lost if online takes over and it will be to the detriment of the sales in the long term.

TDN: In general what are your thoughts on the 2020 yearling catalogues? And what new stallions' progeny are you most looking forward to?

WD: The catalogues this year are as strong as ever and it is probably a fantastic opportunity for someone new into racing and breeding to buy top-level bloodstock. I think the Great British Bonus is a good incentive to buy British-bred fillies and I hope that will help the British breeding industry in the long term.

Postponed (Ire) was a horse Charlie bought as a yearling and I am looking forward to seeing his first yearlings. He was a brilliant horse, who was a very good-looking yearling with substance and power.

I was really impressed with the yearlings by Almanzor (Fr) at Arqana; I thought they were good-looking horses with quality. Profitable (Ire) is another whose yearlings I have liked and being a son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), who is proving to be a sire of sires, he would be quite high on my list.

TDN: Did you develop any new interests or hobbies during lockdown?

WD: I very much enjoyed gardening and cooking. I was also lucky enough to be able to play a lot of tennis and have endless walks with my wife, Katie. She works very hard in London normally, so it was very special for us to both be in the same place for more than a few days at a time.

TDN: Who is the most interesting person you know?

WD: Jassim Al Ghazali has been a pretty fascinating person to work for. He was a professional footballer, then has started one of the biggest car dealerships in Qatar whilst taking the racing scene there by storm. He has been champion trainer a number of times. He works so incredibly hard, when he comes over to buy horses to take back to Qatar the work he has done on the sale beforehand is quite staggering. He writes every horse's form out on their pedigree page in Arabic so he can process it quickly at the sale. It shows how dedicated you have to be to get to the top. On top of this he has a son who rides at Olympic showjumping level in Qatar and presents on their racing channel and a son who is rivaling him in the trainer's championship. He is Qatar's version of Aidan O'Brien. He has also been a great client and support to me over the years.

TDN: What's one mistake (if any) you made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

WD: I have probably made more than one mistake. I did bid on the wrong horse once at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. It was late in the day and I was bidding on two horses very close together; there were withdrawals between the two lots and having bought the first one and signing the ticket I slightly lost track. Without looking I panicked thinking I was going to miss my next one and started bidding. Luckily I realised my error before it was too late. Lesson learned and I now always double and triple check my catalogue to the board before I bid.

I think the key for someone young is to have a client that puts confidence and trust in you and listens to your judgement and gives you some free rein. Working that way I feel is one of the best ways to have success and it teaches you a lot in a short space of time.