Picture: Klondike after a promising debut win on Saturday at Newbury in the Nick Jonsson colours (Simon Milham/PA)
Nick Jonsson had his first winner in the UK at Newbury on Saturday with a William Haggas-trained first-timer called Klondike and this stoutly bred colt will now be going for a Listed race.
If he does well in that race, he will be aimed at Royal Ascot, where the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes over a-mile-and-a-half for three-year-old colts and geldings would be the most obvious target.
Klondike, by Galileo, was born at Luca Cumani and his wife Sara’s Fittocks Stud, which is situated in the hamlet of Upend, five miles from Newmarket.
Klondike was the subject of a foal share agreement between Fittocks Stud and Coolmore, who owned Galileo.
The Galileo colt was signed for by John Magnier’s son at the Tattersalls October Yearling Book 1 Sale.
Nick Jonsson has had horses trained before by William Haggas and the latter alerted him to there being a share available in Klondike.
Fittocks Stud retained a share and the two others owners are the illustrious partnership of John Magnier and Michael Tabor.
Klondike was placed in midfield in the running on Saturday by Tom Marquand in the one mile-three-and-a-half furlong maiden.
After a late surge he got up to win by a head in a blanket finish, converting odds of 7/2.
One of the studio presenters for Racing TV was not complimentary and felt that the race might produce some juvenile hurdlers but not much else.
She must have failed to have looked up Klondike’s stout pedigree or to have noticed his green tendency in the straight in which he appeared to want to continually run in behind the horses in front of him.
That is not to mention the testing conditions.
When Marquand did manage to switch Klondike far enough out to see daylight he fairly took off and made up the necessary length or two in the space of half-a-furlong.
Klondike is out of the Pivotal mare Koora, who won a Group 3 over a mile-and-a-half at Newbury.
Koora has produced two twice winners by Dubawi, including the gelding Kemari, who won the Group 2 Queen’s Vase over a mile and six furlongs as a three-year-old and who was recently the runner up in the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold over a mile-and-a-half at Meydan.
Given his stout breeding, it was not surprising to see Klondike making his debut over a mile-and-three furlongs and he would have likely loved the testing conditions too, which added to the test of stamina.
Far from Klondike striking as a plodder who will soon be on the hurdle circuit, he looks to be an exciting St. Leger prospect.
William Haggas was upbeat afterwards and said, “I hope he’ll go on.”
Klondike runs in Nick Jonsson’s colours of cyclamen (pink), spectrum green crossed sashes, white sleeves and cyclamen cap.
Nick registered these colours in South Africa in the early 1990s and registered them in the UK four years ago.
He has two other horses-in-training in the U.K, a Sea The Stars three-year-old who will run in about a month’s time and a two-year-old by Zoustar.
Meanwhile, he had a successful BSA National Yearling Sale, buying nine yearlings, including a What A Winter half-brother to Do It Again.
