Battaash
| Battaash | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Dark Angel |
| Grandsire | Acclamation |
| Dam | Anna Law |
| Damsire | Lawman |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 10 February 2014[1] |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Ballyphilip Stud |
| Owner | Hamdan Al Maktoum |
| Trainer | Charles Hills |
| Record | 15: 7-1-3 |
| Earnings | £826,772 |
| Major wins | |
| Scurry Stakes (2017) Coral Charge (2017) King George Stakes (2017, 2018) Prix de l'Abbaye (2017) Temple Stakes (2018) | |
Battaash (foaled 10 February 2014) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter who usually competes at the minimum distance of five furlongs, he is noted for his exceptional speed and unpredictable temperament. He won once from five starts as a juvenile in 2016 and was gelded in an attempt to improve his behaviour. In the following year he emerged as one of the best sprinters in the world, winning the Scurry Stakes, Coral Charge and King George Stakes before ending the season with an emphatic win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. In 2018 he won the Temple Stakes and recorded a second victory in the King George Stakes.
Background
Battaash is a bay gelding bred in Ireland by the County Limerick-based Ballyphilip Stud. In October 2015 the yearling colt was put up for auction at Tattersalls and was bought for 200,000 guineas by Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate Company.[2] Battaash was sent into training with Charles "Charlie" Hills at Lambourn in Berkshire.
His sire Dark Angel won four races including the Mill Reef Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes as a two-year-old in 2007 before being retired to stud at the end of the year. Dark Angel's other offspring have included Harry Angel, Lethal Force, Mecca's Angel and Persuasive.[3] Battaash's dam Anna Law showed no racing ability, finishing at the rear of the field in all four of her races in 2012.[4] Her grand-dam Noirmant was a half-sister to Braashee (Prix Royal-Oak), Ghariba (Nell Gwyn Stakes) and Adam Smith (Fort Marcy Handicap) and, as a female-line descendant of Pelting (foaled 1958) related to several other major winners including Moon Ballad, Bassenthwaite, Telescope and Awzaan.[5].
Racing career
2016: two-year-old season
Battaash made his first appearance in a maiden race over five furlongs on good ground at Bath Racecourse on 18 May and started a 14/1 outsider in a nine-runner field. Ridden by the apprentice jockey Michael Murphy he started poorly but took the lead a furlong from the finish and went clear to win "readily" by four lengths.[6] The colt was then stepped up in class for the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. He became highly agitated prior to the race and reared up in the starting stalls before finishing unplaced behind Ardad. Shortly after the race he was gelded.
Battaash recovered from his operation and returned to the track on 9 September in a minor race at Doncaster in which he led for most of the way before hanging to the right in the closing stages and finishing third behind Lost At Sea and Dream of Dreams. Two week later, under top weight of 133 pounds, he ran third in nursery handicap at Haydock Park. On his final appearance of the season, the gelding was stepped up to Group 3 class for the Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket on 7 October. He briefly took the lead approaching the final furlong before being overtaken and beaten into third place by the fillies Mrs Danvers and Clem Fandango: as at Doncaster he compromised his chances by hanging badly to the right.[7]
2017: three-year-old season
On his three-year-old debut, Battaash was partnered by Dane O'Neill and started at odds of 11/1 for the Listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown Park on 17 June. He started slowly but went to the front a furlong out and won from Koropick and the favourite Copper Knight despite displaying his old tendency to drift right in the closing stages.[8] O'Neill was again in the saddle when the gelding was matched against older horses in the Group 3 Coral Charge over the same course and distance on 8 July. On this occasion he started 5/2 favourite against nine opponents including Goldream, Muthmir (2015 King George Stakes) Mirza (Prix du Petit Couvert) and Tis Marvellous (Prix Robert Papin). He took the lead soon after the start, opened up a clear advantage, and won in "impressive " style by three and a quarter lengths from Mirza.[9] Battaash was moved up to Group 2 class for the first time when he contested the King George Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse on 4 August in which he was ridden by Jim Crowley. He went off at odds of 9/2 in an eleven-runner field which included Profitable (King's Stand Stakes), Marsha, Priceless (Temple Stakes), Take Cover (winner of the race in 2014 and 2016), Washington DC and Ardad. Battaash tracked the leaders before accelerating into the lead a furlong out and winning by two and a quarter lengths from Profitable.[10] After the race Charles Hill commented "He's a three-year-old who's improving and going through the ranks and this is another step up today. He's up against some proper sprinters there and he just travelled with such ease."[11]
The Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse on 25 August featured a much-anticipated clash between Battaash and the American filly Lady Aurelia. Battaash was among the leaders from the start but was unable to quicken in the closing stages and came home fourth behind Marsha, Lady Aurelia and the outsider Cotai Glory (also trained by Hills). In October the gelding was sent to France to contest the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Chantilly Racecourse and started favourite in a thirteen-runner field which also included Marsha, Queen Kindly (Lowther Stakes), Signs of Blessing (Prix Maurice de Gheest), Profitable, Finsbury Square (Prix de Meautry) and Son Cesio (Prix du Gros Chene). Crowley sent Battaash into the lead soon after the start and the gelding steadily increased his advantage to win "unchallenged" by four lengths from Marsha.[12] Crowley commented "It was an unbelievable performance. He broke well and was absolutely winging; they just couldn't go fast enough for him. I ended up taking it up after a furlong and a half. With Battaash you're just a passenger, it's as simple as that."[13]
In November, Battaash underwent an operation to correct a potential breathing problem caused by a trapped epiglottis.[14]
In the 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Battaash was given a rating of 123, making him the twelfth-best horse in the world and the second-best sprinter.[15]
2018: four-year-old season
Battaash began in his third season in the Temple Stakes at Haydock on 26 May, in which he was ridden by O'Neill. Despite carrying a five-pound weight penalty, he started the odds-on favourite and produced a strong late run to win by a head from Washington, D.C. The other beaten horses included Muthmir, Take Cover, Mabs Cross (Palace House Stakes) and Kachy (Molecomb Stakes).[16]
The Group 1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June saw Battaash start the 9/4 second favourite behind Lady Aurelia in a fourteen-runner field. After becoming agitated before the start, the gelding led for most of the way but was overtaken inside the final furlong and beaten into second place by the Godolphin representative Blue Point. On 3 August Battaash started the 8/11 when he attempted to repeat his 2017 success in the King George Stakes at Goodwood. Take Cover, Muthmir and Kachy were again in opposition while his other seven opponents included the three-year-olds Sioux Nation (Phoenix Stakes) and Havana Grey (Sapphire Stakes). After tracking the leaders, Battaash took the lead two furlongs from the finish and accelerated away from his opponents to win impressively by four lengths from Take Cover.[17] Hills said "He is an exceptional horse, and I think that could well be a career-best. It was also the best he has behaved in the preliminaries. He has had plenty more racing now and I think he is learning with every run", while Crowley commented "When those gates open, you light the fuse".[18]
Three weeks after his win at Goodwood Battaash made his second attempt to win the Nunthorpe Stakes and started 4/5 favourite in a fifteen runner field. Once again however, he failed to show his best form in the race, briefly taking the lead but fading in the final furlong and coming home fourth behind the 40/1 outsider Alpha Delphini. Jim Crowley said "I don't know what to make of it. He didn't get upset in any way... He just didn't have any kick... I don't know why, I'm gutted".[19] When Battaash attempted to repeat his 2017 success in the Prix de l'Abbaye he started favourite but after leading for most of the way he was overtaken in the last 200 metres and came home fourth behind the filly Mabs Cross.
Pedigree
| Sire Dark Angel (IRE) 2005 |
Acclamation (GB) 1999 |
Royal Applause | Waajib (IRE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Melody (IRE) | |||
| Princess Athena (IRE) | Ahonoora (GB) | ||
| Shopping Wise | |||
| Midnight Angel (GB) 1994 |
Machiavellian (USA) | Mr Prospector | |
| Coup de Folie | |||
| Night at Sea | Night Shift(USA) | ||
| Into Harbour | |||
| Dam Anna Law (IRE) 2010 |
Lawman (FR) 2004 |
Invincible Spirit (IRE) | Green Desert (USA) |
| Rafha (GB) | |||
| Laramie (USA) | Gulch | ||
| Light The Lights (FR) | |||
| Portelet (GB) 1992 |
Night Shift (USA) | Northern Dancer (CAN) | |
| Ciboulette (CAN) | |||
| Noirmant | Dominion | ||
| Krakow (Family:4-k)[5] |
- Battaash was inbred 3 × 4 to Night Shift, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.
References
- ^ a b "Battaash pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ "Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 2) 2015 - Catalogue". Racing Post.
- ^ "Dark Angel Stud Record". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
- ^ "Anna Law - Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
- ^ a b "Sweet Hawthorn - Family 4-k". Thoroughbred Bloodlines. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- ^ "Kellands/EBF Stallions Novice Stakes result". Racing Post. 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Cornwallis Stakes result". Racing Post. 7 October 2016.
- ^ "Scurry Stakes result". Racing Post. 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Coral Charge result". Racing Post. 8 July 2017.
- ^ "King George Stakes result". Racing Post. 4 August 2017.
- ^ Wood, Greg (4 August 2017). "Brilliant Battaash on course for Nunthorpe battle with Lady Aurelia". The Guardian.
- ^ "Prix de l'Abbaye result". Racing Post. 1 October 2017.
- ^ Porteous, Lewis (1 October 2017). "Brilliant Battaash back on his A-game with tour de force". Racing Post.
- ^ "Charlie Hills mulls Battaash strategy". Sky Sports.
- ^ "The 2017 World Thoroughbred Rankings". Horseracingintfed.com. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- ^ "Temple Stakes result". Racing Post. 26 May 2018.
- ^ "King George Stakes result". Racing Post. 3 August 2018.
- ^ Wood, Greg (3 August 2018). "Battaash blitzes home in 56-second explosion of speed". The Guardian.
- ^ Carr, David (24 August 2018). "Gutted Jim Crowley baffled by Battaash flop". Racing Post.