Wathnan Racing recorded a quick-fire double on day four of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, headed by Haunted Dream in the nine-furlong Regent Seven Seas Cruises Bentinck Conditions Stakes, a first winner at the meeting for Qatari trainer Hamad Al Jehani.
Ridden by retained jockey James Doyle, Haunted Dream (18/5) nosed ahead in the closing stages to win by half a length from Cairo. The 6/4 favourite My Prospero finished third, on his first start since last year’s G1 Champion Stakes.
Al Jehani is currently based in Newmarket, where he is handling horses owned by Wathnan Racing, an operation headed by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Al Jehani said: “Haunted Dream always does a very good job. He is an honest horse and we were really confident that he would do his job. I think the race was perfect for him, that pace was great for him, James dealt with him very well and we were very happy.
“We deserved that for all the team, to be honest, after that disappointing day yesterday. Today we deserved to have one of our runners win, so hopefully we might have more.
“There is a plan to give Haunted Dream a break before the start of the turf season in Qatar, so I need to discuss with the team the management of that and his plan now.”
On yesterday’s G2 Markel Richmond Stakes second The Strikin Viking, he added: “The main thing for us was to keep his performance. He finished second in a Group Two, so hopefully he will improve, and James will know him more. It is really interesting to have a nice horse from one of the best trainers here in Kevin Ryan.”
Doyle said: “Haunted Dream is a tough horse isn’t he. He had a whole season here last season, then he had a season in Qatar, then he’s come back. He has been a busy boy but he seems to have thrived on it.
“Full credit to Hamad Al Jehani and his team, they felt like we should go again and they were 100 per cent right. I have to say his horses have been turned out impeccably and they’ve run with great credit throughout all the big festival meetings.”
Maureen Haggas said of My Prospero: “He ran well. He hasn’t run for a long time – he was off for a long, long time – and he was immaculately behaved today. Sometimes he can be a bit ‘roary’. It was a nice run back.”
Wathnan Racing’s colours were in the winner’s 35 minutes later after Artagnan landed the Hawes & Curtis Nursery Handicap for Karl Burke and David Egan.
The 16/1 winner was prominent throughout before taking the six-furlong prize by a length and a half from Cayman Tai, with 4/1 favourite Rare Change another three-quarters of a length back in third.
Burke said: “Artagnan has done that very well. The way he’s been working at home, I thought he was well-handicapped. We were very lucky that we were sent three very good two-year-olds by Wathnan, and I don’t think he would be in the league of the other two [Shareholder and Leovanni], but he’s a very good horse in his own right.
“This has been the plan since Ascot. This is an important meeting for Wathnan, so this was the target. We’ll see what the handicapper does as to where we go next.”
Egan said: “It was very nice to get the last-minute call-up to ride, and Mr Burke was very confident about the horse. He came here in tremendous form carrying a low weight and won very nicely. We had a very smooth trip – the horse was comfortable on the ups and downs here at Goodwood. He travelled very nicely and I thought he quickened away well. It was a nice performance and he’s a horse who will improve with time.”
John & Thady Gosden completed a double of their own as Assailant captured the concluding Coral Play Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap under Oisin Murphy, adding to the victory of Lead Artist earlier in the day.
The 11-furlong contest has been won by some future stars, with G1 victors Poet’s Word and Walton Street among the recent winners.
Gosden said: “Well I think first of all, Assailant likes the ground – he is a top-of-the-ground horse. He got it at Ascot but unfortunately he was drawn in car park number one, which is never much of a help if you are going a mile and a half at Ascot.
“He is progressive and he has shown that today. We’ll see what that cruel man called the handicapper does and after that we’ll make our plans from there. I am perfectly happy we go up a notch up to a mile and a half, the jockey said that.”
Murphy said: “Assailant is very well-bred, and the gelding helped. Hopefully, he is a horse who is going to get to a higher level, and I was very pleased with his homework.”