Thady (right) and John Gosden

Damysus back to winning ways at Deauville

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sun August 17, 2025 · 4M ago

The Wathnan Racing silks were carried to victory at Deauville again on Sunday as Damysus returned from a break with a win in Listed company.

Big-spending owners Wathnan were among the winners on Saturday as First Look scored in Group 3 company and their number one rider James Doyle was on board again as the John and Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old Damysus got his campaign back on track in the Aga Khan Studs Prix Nureyev, a race the stable won with subsequent Prince of Wales's Stakes hero Ombudsman.

Second in the Dante before finishing last in the Betfred Derby at Epsom, Frankel colt Damysus enjoyed the drop back to 10 furlongs, travelling with enthusiasm just off the pace before picking it up with around a furlong and a half to go.

The 3/1 shot stayed on strongly to beat Andre Fabre's Nitoi, with the Ed Walker-trained Mister Rizz back in third.

Fellow raiders Purview (Dermot Weld) and Jackknife (Roger Varian) were very disappointing, the latter hanging badly left in the home straight before eventually being pulled up sharply by Oisin Murphy.

Damysus follows in the footsteps of Ombudsman in taking the Listed @AgaKhanStuds Prix Nureyev at Deauville! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/ovNNNnLkor
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 17, 2025

Paddy Power halved Damysus to 50/1 in their antepost market for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Doyle said on Sky Sports Racing: "It's lovely to see him back on form, he obviously ran a very good race in the Dante and finished off very well that day, looking quite green.

"It didn't go to plan in the Derby, he got very upset in the stalls and kicked the gate quite badly, it was a bit of a mess. The team have done a great job getting him to relax again putting him through the stalls again and gain confidence.

"He was still a little bit on me early but once the pace settled down he relaxed into a nice rhythm which was good to see. He's probably a quicker horse than in the past we've given him credit for.

"It worked out well today. Like most horses, I think he'd prefer good ground. I felt today if rode pretty quick, it was tight today, so slightly easier than today would be perfect for him."

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