Turf Talk Newsletter – 15 November, 2024

Gimme A Prince won two Gr 1’s under Keagan de Melo in the 2022/2023 season (Picture: Wayne Marks)

INTERBET PREVIEW OF THE G3 CAPE MILE 2024

Mark van Deventer

If basing a decision purely on the weight scale for the Cape Mile, a G3 at Kenilworth on Saturday, then the high class, Gimme a Prince stands out by a significant margin. An OMR of 130 puts him 10 points clear of next best rivals, Royal Aussie and Rascallion, with Zapatillas and Montien in turn a point or two adrift.

The speed figures tell a similar clear-cut, story. Gimme a Prince sets a towering standard on 118 – right up with the highest ratings achieved in SA in recent years. Seriously smart, 1400/1600m exponent, Royal Aussie’s best number is 113, which he managed in the G1 King’s Plate. Piet Botha’s admirable, Montien gets 111, with Vaughan Marshall trained, Cape Met 2^nd place finisher, Rascallion pegged on 110.

They are followed by Zapatillas who recorded a career best of 108 in the Gold Challenge, the same level as Hluhluwe. That ranks a few ticks ahead of 1400m ace, It’srainingwilliam (s/s 106) and ultra consistent, Sugar Mountain (s/s 105.)

Solar Power (s/s 99) and lightly weighted, class-riser, Promettere (s/s 98) make up the ten- runner field and, as the figs indicate, both will have to improve substantially to mix it with more talented rivals. Accordingly, they are given miniscule 3% chances of success and quoted ante-post at 25/1 and 30/1 respectively.

What of the pace? Montien is a confirmed front runner who is mighty tough to get past when in a resolute galloping mood. Zapatillas could enjoy the run of the race as he goes best stalking the pace. Brett Crawford’s entry will get the ideal set up from draw 3 and must be respected having his third start after a rest and gelding.

Rascallion is another that can sustain a strong gallop racing handy and he too is drawn low at 2, but he is at his absolute prime over middle-distances and may be done for finishing speed.

None can finish as rapidly as Gimme a Prince, though. He clocked an eye-popping 21.7 seconds last 400m in his comeback at Durbanville 49 days ago behind Questioning and has compiled an exceptional record over extended sprints using those missile-like, powers of acceleration.

In 2023, Gimme a Prince beat ace speedball, Rio Querari in the G1 Cape Flying Champs over 1000m; just missed after a horrible passage in the 1400m Drill Hall Stakes behind multiple G1 winner, Trip of Fortune; conceded weight and rushed past another G1 victor, Thunderstruck in the Golden Horseshoe over 1200m; and gave the mighty, Charles Dickens a serious scare in the seven-furlong Matchem.

That’s one formidable C.V. But before you decide to bet with both lungs on Gimme a Prince, take heed of a few cautionaries. He is not the soundest character and is, belatedly, having just his second start of the year. He is also unproven over a mile and awkwardly drawn on the outer so there are a few doubts going into the race.

If the 17/10 ante-post favourite overcomes those negatives and blows them away with a withering stretch run on Saturday, just after 15h25, then Dean Kannemeyer’s patrons, Khaya Stables could go into the targeted, LÓrmarins G1 King’s Plate on the 4^th January 2025 with confidence.

The enigmatic Hluhluwe has been set the steadier of 62kg’s. It’s hard to envisage him conceding 2kg’s to Gimme a Prince, yet he has excellent back form over the C/D this time last year. Justin Snaith’s 12/1 shot should be considered for the places. He needs to, however, put a dull KZN Winter campaign behind him.

Mark van Deventer’s ‘Grades” for the Cape Mile:

A = 10        B = 6 9               C = 2 3 5

Snow Pilot has been tipped to win Race 3 and can ensure punters get off to a good start in the PA. (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Brandon Bailey (Cape Racing)

Race 1
5 CORK BAY comes back to the races after being gelded on the 18th of October 2024, he ran a cracker last time behind Bagatelle Flash when finishing second, he is still improving and should go very close to winning. 14 ELSINORE absolutely took off to run a great second behind Shipindani in his last start, he should relish the step up in trip to 1200m, there is no doubt he will be a huge danger to them all late. 4 CHARLIE BUCKET showed plenty speed on debut when finishing a decent third, he was only beaten just over four lengths by a smart type, he should improve with every start, watch him closely. 2 GIMMEATHRILL should appreciate racing up the straight at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, he is improving with every start and could sneak into the Quartets at a decent price.
(Brandon Bailey: 5 – 14 – 4 – 2)

Race 2
5 RICH FOLKS HOAX ran a lovely race when finishing second behind Major Master, that was his first run in the Western Cape, he will improve tremendously with every start and should go very close to winning this race. 3 MARINE MERCHANT is very well related, he drops back in trip to 1400m, from a good draw he should get the run of the race, include him into all bet types. 8 LANDOFTHERISINGSUN has been rested and gelded, the yard think highly of this individual, he will be right there in the finish on his best form. 12 REAL STUNNER improved nicely from his first run to his second run, he quickened up smartly on that occasion from a long way back, he will love the step up in trip, watch him closely.
Brandon Bailey: 5 – 3 – 8 – 12)

Race 3
3 SNOW PILOT won a super race last time beating One Stripe, he is a serious colt with tons of ability, with similar front-running tactics again, he will be extremely hard to catch. 7 INFRARED quickened up beautifully to win well last time, he will need to step up again to be competitive in this tricky looking race, but his progressive and will be running on late, include him. 5 BJORN IRONSIDE needed his last run badly when running on strongly for second behind Dumbledore, he should appreciate the step up in trip, on his best form with a low weight on his back, he should be amongst the places again. 1 WITHOUT QUESTION comes back to the races after a long break, he is extremely talented and must be respected.
(Brandon Bailey: 3 – 7 – 5 – 1)

Race 4
2 POWERANDTHEGLORY has been rested for 167 days, he is a beautiful looking colt with all the ability in the world, he won his maiden with authority, from a good draw in this race, he will be very hard to beat. 5 SOLOMONS SEAL really enjoys this trip of 1400m, his recent form has been super consistent, if he doesn’t need the run badly, he should be right there in the finish. 9 SAN PEDRO enjoys racing up on the speed, he ran a good race behind Rascova last time, if he can beat the tricky draw, he could easily earn again for the connections. 12 BIG UNIT had absolutely no luck behind Aristotle, unfortunately he has a poor draw to beat here, if the race works out for him, he could flash up and finish in the Quartets.
(Brandon Bailey: 2 – 5 – 9 – 12)

Race 5
3 SONG TO THE MOON quickened up smartly to win going away last time, he is a beautiful looking gelding that is getting better and stronger with every start, he should love the step up in trip, on his best form he will take some beating again from a good draw. 1 JOIN THE DOTS has done everything right of late, he has won two super races in succession, this race will require further improvement to win again, but his doing things right and should remain competitive. 6 GIMME MORE TIME carries top weight, he has been very consistent through his career, there is no doubt he will be amongst the places. 4 MAGIC VERSE is slowly starting to drop in the ratings, he ran a lovely race last time from a wide draw, include him into all bets.
(Brandon Bailey: 3 – 1 – 6 – 4)

Race 6
5 GROOVEJET finished powerfully in his last start to finish second behind Join The Dots, this looks to be the perfect race for him to be in the winner’s box for the second time in his career, with some luck in running, he will be extremely hard to beat. 2 COMMANDER GREEN was only beaten just under three lengths in his last start, from a good draw he could improve sharply and give them a big fright in the finish, watch him closely at a decent price. 7 TOTHEMOONANDBACK has been in good form of late, at this level he must be respected, he tries hard and will give a good account of himself again. 8 CONTINENTALEXPRESS will love the step up in trip, he stays well and could sneak into the Quartets.
(Brandon Bailey: 5 – 2 – 7 – 8)

Race 7
7 SUGAR MOUNTAIN comes back to the races from a 70-day rest, he ran a cracker over 1250m last time, he loves the 1600m trip, on his best form he will be right there in the finish. 9 ROYAL AUSSIE will need lots of luck in running from a tricky draw, he has run with some of the best horses in South Africa, his last run in the Grade 1 was exceptional behind Surjay, if he doesn’t need the run badly coming back from a rest, he will be one of the horses to beat in this tricky looking race. 2 RASCALLION never runs a bad race, he is as honest as they come, from a good draw he must be respected. 10 GIMME A PRINCE would have needed his last run badly, he stayed on strongly late, he now steps up in trip from a terrible draw, watch him, he can finish very strongly.
(Brandon Bailey: 7 – 9 – 2 – 10)

Race 8
5 VERONIQUE gets the services of champion jockey Richard Fourie, she always tries her best, at this level she must be respected and included into all bet types. 1 ROYAL LYTHAM ran a much better race last time behind Captain’s Destiny, the yard is in good form at the moment, she can earn again. 4 LADY LOXTON gets a further rating drop, she ran a much-improved race behind Prince Of Tibet, if she moves well down to the gates, she will go very close to winning. 7 SHIPINDANI won her maiden well, she is a speedy filly that will keep improving with every start, with a similar performance of her last run, she will have a nice each way chance.
(Brandon Bailey: 5 – 1 – 4 – 7)

Race 9
5 BABELICIOUS has been rested for 63 days, she is way above average, her form is very good, and she will appreciate the drop in trip to 1200m, if she doesn’t need the run badly, she will be right there in the finish. 3 I’M SO PRITTI has won her last two starts very impressively, she is certainly doing things the right way, if she can replicate her Hollywoodbets Durbanville form at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, she will be hard to beat. 2 CAPTAIN’S DESTINY quickened up beautifully to win going away in her last start, she enjoys being held up in her races and then comes with a storming finish late, include her, she can absolutely win a race like this. 9 ALLTHEBOYSIVELOVED is highly rated by the stable, her form is excellent, she warrants huge respect in a very competitive race.
(Brandon Bailey: 5 – 3 – 2 – 9)

Race 10
14 CATCH A PENNY got really worked up behind the gates in her last start and still managed to run a terrific second behind Pink Pigeon, she is way above average, if she settles moving down to the gates and the race works out for her in this big field, she will be very hard to beat. 11 WILD APPLAUSE is way better than her most recent run behind Garden Of Eden, watch for sharp improvement now that she is back in trip and sprinting again. 5 BACK AT THE GEORGE never runs a bad race, she is well tried in the maiden ranks, if she bring that run behind Beware The Bomb to the races on Saturday, she will have a huge winning chance. 4 BEACH QUEEN is very well bred, she should improve tremendously from her debut run, watch her closely.
(Brandon Bailey: 14 – 11 – 5 – 4)

Ryan Moore will be out to win the prestigious Longines IJC for the first time (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)

A stellar line-up will contest the 2024 LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, 4 December.

The LONGINES IJC is the most prestigious jockey challenge in the world and the most lucrative for the winning rider. The four races are worth a combined HK$7.5 million in prize money. Meanwhile, a total prize fund of HK$1 million in bonus money for the most successful riders will be split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$600,000 with HK$250,000 for second and HK$150,000 for third, respectively.

2023 LONGINES IJC winner Vincent Ho and Hong Kong Champion Jockey Zac Purton will pit their wits and skills against home-based rivals and eight overseas challengers. This year’s overseas contingent will feature English superstar Ryan Moore, New Zealand ace James McDonald, top Norwegian-British flat jockey William Buick, leading female riders Hollie Doyle and Rachel King, prolific Irish flat champion Colin Keane, brilliant Frenchman Mickael Barzalona and Japan’s Yuga Kawada.

The final two spots on the 12-rider roster for the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship will go to the highest-ranked riders in the Hong Kong championship standings at the cut-off date, which follows the race meeting on Wednesday, 20 November.

Mr Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “The LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship is the most exciting jockey challenge every December. This year’s line-up features Ryan Moore, James McDonald and William Buick – who currently fill top three in the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey rankings, and between them this year they have won a string of the world’s leading Group 1 contests. They will compete with the world’s very best established riders for a thrilling night of great sport.”

Moore, McDonald and Buick are all currently in fine form as they all scored in G1 races held at the recent Victoria Derby and Breeders’ Cup meetings in early November.

Moore is no stranger to the LONGINES IJC, having won the event twice. The Englishman currently sits at the top of the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey rankings and is a leading chance to win his fifth World’s Best Jockey title. Among his elite 2024 achievements was surpassing Frankie Dettori to become the most successful active rider at Royal Ascot, in addition to Group 1 triumphs in Great Britain, Ireland, France and the United States of America.

McDonald is also a familiar face in the LONGINES IJC, finishing second twice (2011 & 2021) and third in 2014. This year he has enjoyed another fruitful partnership with local hero Romantic Warrior, winning the FWD QEII Cup and Yasuda Kinen, and is currently in stellar form, scoring his 100th Group 1 victory and his third consecutive success in the W.S. Cox Plate with Via Sistina, after wins on Anamoe (2022) and Romantic Warrior (2023).

Representing Great Britain, Buick is Godolphin’s leading rider, who formed a formidable partnership with Rebel’s Romance this year, winning the Dubai Sheema Classic, Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, Preis von Europa and Breeders’ Cup Turf. Crowned British Flat Racing Champion Jockey in 2022 and 2023, Buick added Group 1 wins to his tally in 2024 with Notable Speech in the 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes.

Adding further class to the line-up is Barzalona, French Flat Racing Champion Jockey in 2021. He currently sits second in the French jockey’s championship behind Maxime Guyon and his partnership with Tribalist to win the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp this season was no doubt his career highlight.

Both Doyle and King have proven records in the LONGINES IJC: Doyle finished joint-third in her LONGINES IJC debut in 2020 and then in 2021 she made one step further in this prestigious event to achieve joint second behind the eventual winner Purton. King made her LONGINES IJC debut last year and was able to make an immediate impact with victory atop Oversubscribed. Overall, she ranked third behind Ho and Purton.

The exciting line-up also includes two more exciting overseas riders – Japan’s Kawada and Ireland’s Keane, both are outstanding Group 1 winning jockeys this year.

A seven-time JRA Award winner for the jockey with the highest winning percentage, Kawada added more Group 1 wins to his tally in 2024 with Jantar Mantar in the NHK Mile Cup, while five-time Irish Champion Jockey Keane scored three Group 1 races in 2024, including Sun Chariot Stakes (Tamfana), Phoenix Stakes (Babouche) and Tattersalls Gold Cup (White Birch).

Purton, Hong Kong’s seven-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey, will chase a record fourth LONGINES IJC crown, having won the event in 2017, 2020 and 2021. He currently leads this season’s local standings with 32 wins (as of 4 November).

Ho became Hong Kong’s first home-grown jockey to win the LONGINES IJC last year. The four-time Tony Cruz Award recipient is also in recent fine form and ranks third in this season’s jockeys’ standings with 13 wins (as of 4 November), just behind Purton and Hugh Bowman.

Trainers will again have an added incentive to target their horses at LONGINES IJC races this year with a bonus scheme which will pay HK$300,000, HK$125,000 and HK$75,000 respectively to the three handlers who achieve the highest number of points across the four races, using the same scale as employed for the jockeys.

The four-race competition works on a points-based system with 12 points for the win, six points for second place and four points to third. The ranking of each jockey will be determined by the total number of points earned over all four races and the LONGINES IJC champion will be the jockey with the highest accumulated points.

In the case of a dead-heat for any of the first three placings, points will be added and then divided by the number of horses involved. In the LONGINES IJC, substitute jockeys are eligible for points and if a countback is required it will go back to fourth placings.

Homegrown jockeys with 2lb or 3lb claims are eligible for selection for the LONGINES IJC but there will be no claiming allowance in the four LONGINES IJC races. Apprentice jockeys do not qualify for selection.

This year’s edition will again feature the process successfully employed in recent years of allocating rides with a model designed to make the contest competitive and to reduce the risk of individual riders being dealt a particularly strong or weak hand.

This will form the basis for a process in which each rider will be allocated four rides based on an estimated average of each horse’s chance as supplied by the Club’s Jockey Challenge odds-compiling team. The odds-compiling team will assess the credentials of every runner in advance and, without knowing who will ride each horse, will submit their final assessments once the barrier draw is made on the morning of Monday, 2 December.

The minimum riding weight for LONGINES IJC races is 118lb. If there are more than 12 entries for a race, the Club’s Handicapping Department will use their discretion to give preference to horses who have shown reasonable recent form.

Below is the line-up for the IJC, with two spots still to be determined for Hong Kong-based jockeys.

The IJC line-up

Vincent Ho (reigning IJC champion)

Zac Purton (Hong Kong champion)

Rachel King (Australia)

Ryan Moore (Great Britain)

Hollie Doyle (Great Britain)

William Buick (Great Britain)

Mickael Barzalona (France)

Colin Keane (Ireland)

Yuga Kawada (Japan)

James McDonald (NZ)

TBD (Hong Kong)

TBD (Hong Kong)

Wootton Bassett’s son Henri Matisse wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Picture: At The Races)  

Kevin Blake (At The Races)

Kevin looks at the continued success of Wootton Bassett in producing top-class winners, and how his best days as a leading sire could still be ahead of him.

The Wootton Bassett Progress Report
Just over four years ago, Coolmore’s high-profile purchase of Wootton Bassett was covered in detail in this space. It was an acquisition that was highly unusual on a number of fronts. At the time, he was 12 years of age and had already risen from an extremely slow start as a sire to become established as one of the very best sires in France for a top operation in Haras d’Etreham. That profile of stallion just doesn’t tend to change hands.

So, for the most powerful player in the bloodstock world to swoop for him made it all the more headline worthy. With the price tag reportedly being in the region of €50m, it was a deal that widened eyes across the industry and was scrutinised and debated to an extent rarely seen in bloodstock circles. With Coolmore having set down their marker and belief in the horse by upping his fee from the €40,000 of his final season at Haras d’Etreham to €100,000 for his first season in Ireland in 2021, the stage was set for one of the most high-profile and high-stakes calculated gambles of recent decades in the bloodstock world.

Students of the game attempting to find a precedent for a comparable gamble by Coolmore in their long history might well have had to rewind all the way back to Ahonoora. A sprinter that was best known for being awarded what became the Nunthorpe Stakes in the stewards’ room in 1979, he retired to the Irish National Stud at a modest fee of £2,250 in 1980. He exceeded all initial expectations to become a highly-influential stallion, producing the likes of Park Appeal (won the Cheveley Park Stakes and became the dam of Cape Cross), Park Express (won the Irish Champion Stakes and became the dam of New Approach), Don’t Forget Me (won the 2000 Guineas) and Indian Ridge (won the King’s Stand Stakes and became a very successful stallion) in his early crops.

This success attracted the attentions of Coolmore. At the age of 12, the same age Wootton Bassett was when they struck for him, Coolmore partnered with the Australian-based Segenhoe Stud to buy him for IR£7m in 1987, a sum roughly equating to €20m nowadays. It was a huge punt, but it didn’t end well when less than two years later Ahonoora broke a hind leg in a paddock accident when down in Segenhoe Stud in October 1989. Hints of what might have been emerged in the years ahead, as his first Coolmore crop produced a star in Dr Devious who won the Dewhurst Stakes, the Derby and the Irish Champion Stakes.

The point of that brief retreat into history is to demonstrate that there is no such thing as a certainty. When a big investment pays off, there can often be retrospective commentary with the tone of “well of course it worked out well”, but the sad tale of Ahonoora and many others since demonstrate that nothing can be taken for granted, especially in the high-risk world of thoroughbred stallions.

I won’t repeat Wootton Bassett’s remarkable background story which started with a first crop of just 23 foals sired off a nomination fee of €6,000 in France, as it was covered in detail in the aforementioned article from August 2020. Rather, I will pick up the story from there and assess the first four years of the Coolmore chapter of the Wootton Bassett story.

If there were any feelings of buyer’s remorse in the camp in the immediate aftermath of the purchase of Wootton Bassett, they were put at ease before he had even covered a mare in Fethard. At the time of the deal, he had sired just one Group 1 winner in the shape of the brilliant Almanzor, but the ink was hardly dry when Audarya and Wooded struck at the highest level. Indeed, his French crops kept delivering the goods in the years that followed with Incarville, Zellie, Al Riffa, King Of Steel, Bucanero Fuerte and Unquestionable all adding further Group 1s to his tally.

So, before his first Coolmore crop had even reached the track, Wootton Bassett was up to nine individual Group 1 winners from his nine French crops. However, the play was never about the French crops that were yet to run, it was always focused on the potential for what Wootton Bassett could do when super-charged by the support of the parade of tip-top broodmares that Coolmore and their clients could provide.

From the outset of Wootton Bassett’s time in Coolmore, it was clear that all concerned were not going to hold anything back in terms of support. Having been introduced to Coolmore at what many perceived to be a punchy fee of €100,000 (up from €40,000 in his final year in Haras d’Etreham), Wootton Bassett covered 235 mares in 2021. Over half (125) of those mares were black type performers and 55 were Group winners including a fabulous roll call of Group 1 winners such as Albigna, Alexandrova, Deirdre, Fancy Blue, Found, Peeping Fawn, The Fugue and Was. That group also featured an array of Group 1-producing mares such as the dams of Harry Angel, Snowfall, Sioux Nation, One Master, Tepin and Zoustar. His book made for mind-blowing reading.

That level of support has been maintained in the years that have followed. The aforementioned performance of Wootton Bassett’s remaining French crops led to his fee being raised to €150,000 for 2022 and 2023, then up to €200,000 for 2024. He covered 246 mares in 2022, 218 in 2023 and 223 in 2024, with each crop being similarly star-studded as his first Coolmore crop was.

All this time, anticipation was building to fever pitch for that first Coolmore crop of two-year-olds to hit the track in 2024. While they had been spread all over the racing world, there was an understandable focus on the 30 or so of his progeny that had made the grade from either the homebred crop or the sales ring to earn a coveted stable behind the gates of Ballydoyle.

The last seven months or so have seen it all play out in front of us. As Wootton Bassett’s first Coolmore crop near the end of their two-year-old year, how can we rate their performance? Pick whatever superlative you like, none of them will be considered over the top.

From 101 starters out of 182 named foals, Wootton Bassett has produced 10 Group-winning two-year-olds, with four of them winning Group 1 races. Those top-level scorers were Camille Pissarro in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, Tennessee Stud in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Twain in the Criterium International and Henri Matisse in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. There have been plenty of top-class stallions in recent decades that took many, many years to sire four individual Group 1-winning two-year-olds. Indeed, some of them didn’t ever reach that number. So, for Wootton Bassett to produce that many in a single crop is a quite stunning performance.

Arguably the most eye-widening accolade that Wootton Bassett earned this year is that he set a new record for the number of individual Group-winning two-year-olds produced in a single crop. The record had been held jointly by the breed-shaping stallions Galileo and Danehill with seven Group winners in a single crop each. Wootton Bassett didn’t just break that record, he obliterated it with 10 such winners. The scary thing is that he had another 10 two-year-olds with official ratings of 100 or more that didn’t quite manage to win in Group company, including Expanded who finished a neck second in the Dewhurst Stakes just a week on from his winning debut. In short, his record-breaking tally of Group winners could easily have been higher. With him having more crops of a similarly sky-high quality and quantity to come, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Wootton Bassett can raise that particular bar to even more remarkable heights in the years ahead.

However, in amongst all the praise for Wootton Bassett’s first Irish crop of two-year-olds, don’t forget a pertinent and slightly terrifying fact. We aren’t dealing with a one-dimensional sire of two-year-olds here. Four of Wootton Bassett’s five highest-rated runners on official ratings thus far have been middle-distance performers, namely Almanzor, King Of Steel, Al Riffa and Audarya. Considering that his first Irish crop of mares including no less than 58 daughters of Galileo, five daughters of Sadler’s Wells and six daughters of Sea The Stars amongst many other middle-distance types, the potential for his progeny to continue to be just as high achieving as three-year-olds and beyond should be very obvious. Understandably, his fee for 2025 has risen to €300,000, making him one of the highest-priced stallions anywhere in the world.

Wootton Bassett has covered over 900 mares in Fethard in his four seasons since joining the Coolmore roster, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that his exploits in the Northern Hemisphere are not the full story. He has also been shuttling down to Australia each year since joining Coolmore and has covered a total of 490 mares in his first three seasons doing so. His first Southern Hemisphere crop is due to emerge on the tracks down there in the coming months and their performance at the yearling sales have led to hopes rising that he can be just as effective in Australia as he has proven to be in Europe.

If Ahonoora is to be used as the cautionary tale that buying proven stallions that are nearing their teenage years doesn’t always work out, Wootton Bassett is likely to be held up as an example for many decades to come of just how well it can work out for those brave enough to take such a punt. Calculated gambles in the world of bloodstock and racing don’t come much bigger than what Wootton Bassett represented, but it has already paid off in no uncertain style. With continued luck, the final payout is unlikely to stop increasing for quite a few years yet.

Moore winning the award in 2016. (Picture: Longines) 

How many times has Ryan Moore won the World’s Best Jockey Award?

Ryan Moore easily took the 2023 Longines World’s Best Jockey title, notching his fourth overall victory in the competition. The European-based rider was the inaugural recipient of the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award, which was established in 2014, and he also won in 2016 and 2021.