Rewarding double with homebred Wid and the promising Hatteen
- 4 hours ago
- 1 min read
A rewarding afternoon saw two of our three-year-olds reach an important milestone, with WID and HATTEEN each registering their first career victory in Britain.
The first success came at Carlisle, where our homebred WID made every yard of the running to land the mile novice for Ralph Beckett and Jason Hart. The daughter of Wootton Bassett showed a willing attitude when challenged in the straight, rewarding the promise she had shown on her previous outing.
There was added significance to the result, as WID is out of our dual Group 1 heroine QEMAH, whose victories in the Coronation Stakes Gr.1 and Prix Rothschild Gr.1 remain among the highlights of our racing history. Watching the next generation begin to write its own story is always a special moment, and WID has now taken that first step.
The day gathered further momentum at Doncaster, where HATTEEN produced an eye-catching display in the valuable Betfred St Leger Trial Novice Stakes over a mile and a half.
Prepared by Andrew Balding and ridden by P.J. McDonald, the son of Lope De Vega travelled strongly before pulling clear in the closing stages to score by four and a quarter lengths. Having filled the runner-up spot on his previous two starts, he turned that consistency into a performance full of encouragement.
Bred by Ballylinch Stud, HATTEEN has shaped as a colt to follow throughout the season, and this victory offered another indication that middle-distance races could hold plenty of opportunities in the months ahead.
