Ben Linfoot says the success of Baaeed and Highfield Princess, both unraced at two, show patience can be rewarded in racing - and he picks out five potential future stars to follow.
Princess puts patience in the spotlight
You simply have to stand back and admire the work John Quinn has done with Highfield Princess. From getting beaten in a Doncaster handicap off a mark of 57 she has now scaled the heights of her sport in three consecutive races to become the undisputed Queen of European sprinters.
From Deauville to York to the Curragh she has beaten everything anyone can throw at her and the plan is now to conquer the world in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, where she’s a 2/1 chance to see off Golden Pal and company at Keeneland in November.
You wouldn’t put it past her and all this has been achieved in a race career spanning less than two-and-half years, but this is no flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long story. It’s a tale of a relatively inexpensive purchase maturing into a champion for likeable connections in trainer John Quinn and owner/breeder John Fairley, but above all it’s a story of patience.
“She didn’t run at two and it’s taken a while for her to learn her trade,” said Quinn after her stunning Nunthorpe success at York. “Not racing at two has helped her,” he reiterated after an even more comfortable victory in the Flying Five at the Curragh on Sunday.
Quinn is clearly satisfied with his decision to keep her back from the racetrack as a juvenile, especially as it’s not something he does that often.
Indeed, Highfield Princess was just the 51st three-year-old debutant Quinn had run since 1997, an average of two a year for a trainer that usually runs between 60 and 70 different horses every season.
Not racing at two for a Flat horse is fairly uncommon. But some of the best trainers around have had great success using this method, either by accident or design.
William Haggas
William Haggas’ Baaeed, of course, is the most famous of them all that didn’t race as a juvenile. A beacon for patience, the son of Sea The Stars made his debut in the June of his three-year-old career, that Leicester maiden win sparking an incredible run of 10 consecutive victories. To be continued…
Before Baaeed there was Sea Of Class, also by Sea The Stars, who made her debut for Haggas in the April of her three-year-old career. Second at Newmarket to Ceilidhs Dream, she announced herself at Newbury next time out, sparking Oaks chat, but while she missed Epsom she won the Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks before going down a short neck to Enable in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
At the same time Sea Of Class was racing Haggas also had One Master, a Fastnet Rock mare who also made her racecourse debut at three. She won a Listed race less than two months after her debut, but she didn’t really bloom until the autumn of her four-year-old career when winning the Prix de la Foret, a race she went onto win three times.
Sir Michael Stoute
Sir Michael Stoute is well renowned for his patience, even if most of his most famous horses ran at least once at two – including all of his Derby winners; Shergar, Shahrastani, Kris Kin, North Light, Workforce and Desert Crown.
However, very well known for giving his horses the time and space they need, Stoute has used the no-racing-as-a-juvenile method to great effect on many occasions, notably with Harbinger who first ran in the Wood Ditton Stakes as a three-year-old in the April of 2009. His crowning glory was his last racecourse appearance when landing the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by 11 lengths in 2010.
Ask, Zee Zee Top and Integral were other long-term Stoute projects who won Group One races having been unraced at two.
John Gosden
On April 21 2007 John Gosden ran two horses having their debuts in a 3yo maiden at Newbury. Lucarno, sent off at 50/1, was second, while Pipedreamer, at 12/1, was sixth. Both backward types, Lucarno progressed throughout the season and won the St Leger, while Pipedreamer did the same and landed the Cambridgeshire the following month.
Lucarno isn’t the only Leger winner Gosden has trained that was unraced as a juvenile, as his Logician was cut from the same cloth. He made his debut at Newbury in the May of his 3yo campaign, the catalyst for a five-race unbeaten run that season that culminated in Classic glory.
Lah Ti Dar didn’t run as a juvenile, either, but she won the Galtres Stakes at York by 10 lengths as a 3yo although she never really kicked on from that. Ralph Beckett’s Haskoy, demoted to fourth from second in the Leger on Sunday, won the same York race earlier this summer having also been unraced at two.
Roger Varian
Roger Varian learnt plenty from his mentor Michael Jarvis, including the virtues of patience.
Zabeel Prince is a prime example, the son of Lope De Vega making his debut in the October of his three-year-old career at Redcar, before he started rewarding his trainer with three wins on the spin at four. He won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at the age of six.
In the same Sheikh Mohammed Obaid colours were Fujaira Prince and Sharja Bridge. The former made his debut at three, racing once, before improving until he was six when he won the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York. The latter didn’t race until the June of his three-year-old season and he won the Balmoral Handicap at four and the Doncaster Mile at five.
Others to note
James Fanshawe has been a master of the waiting game over the years and the best examples of this are when looking at some of his best sprinters.
Frizzante was a fine mare who won the 2004 July Cup and she made her debut at Beverley at three, while Fanshawe also nurtured The Tin Man to win three top-level sprints having waited until the May of his 3yo campaign to hand him his debut.
Les Arcs, trained by Tim Pitt when winning the Golden Jubilee and July Cup, was handled by John Gosden when he debuted at Bath over 10 furlongs as a three-year-old at the end of May 2003.
Who’s the next backward big thing?
It’s difficult to highlight the next Highfield Princess or Baaeed, as there might not be such a thing amongst the three-year-olds that made their racecourse debuts this year, but here are five who could make the grade from the patient yards of those mentioned above…
Maljoom (William Haggas)
Finding the next Baaeed looks a nigh-on impossible task for Haggas, but in Maljoom he could well have the next cab off the rank. The exciting son of Caravaggio made his racecourse debut at three at Doncaster in March, won his first three races including the German 2000 Guineas and then was a desperately unlucky fourth in the St James’s Palace Stakes. Ruled out of the Prix Jacques Le Marois due to a dirty scope, he has autumn entries in the Joel Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Champion Stakes.
Pure Dignity (Roger Varian)
Before she even ran Roger Varian’s Pure Dignity stood out on pedigree. A beautifully-bred daughter of Dubawi out of the Galileo mare Starlet’s Sister, she’s a half-sister to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass and seven-time US Grade One winner Sistercharlie. Pure Dignity ran a promising race on her debut as a 3yo at Newmarket in June, running out an impressive length winner over Light Of Peace, and she’s entered up in a Kempton novice on Friday.
Solar Orbiter (Roger Varian)
Also from the Roger Varian yard is Solar Oribiter, a once-raced son of Showcasing who finished off really strongly to win on his racecourse debut at Newcastle a couple of weeks ago. The Flaxman Stables-owned three-year-old quickened clear in the style of a smart colt and looks sure to improve wherever he goes next. He’s also entered in a different novice at Kempton this Friday.
Judith (John & Thady Gosden)
Judith has to be on the radar for the Gosden team after a fairly fruitful campaign having only started at the races at Ascot in May. She got the better of her better-fancied stablemate Wonderful Times that day but went on to prove it was no fluke when landing a Newmarket novice that Logician had won a few years earlier. Too keen at York on her last few starts, she ran well behind Leger second-past-the-post Haskoy in the Galtres at the Knavesmire off a steady gallop that didn’t suit.
Laurel (John & Thady Gosden)
A Timeform large ‘P’ for Laurel after her smashing debut at Newmarket on July 29, the daughter of Kingman showing an electric turn of foot against the far rail after travelling beautifully to run out a ready three-length winner. It’s a bit disconcerting that we haven’t seen her since, but patience is the name of the game in this piece and she has got a Sun Chariot entry at least, so hopefully we’ll see her again before the season’s end as this Juddmonte filly looks a really smart prospect.
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