The highly regarded Gethin is set for his Group 1 debut as he’s pleased connections in work of late. The lightly-raced son of Ghaiyyath posted a career best effort last time out, beaten a neck by Ombudsman. That form was generously franked, as Ombudsman bolted up in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and is now rated 132.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Wathnan’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “James Doyle rode him work before going to Ireland and was very happy. Interestingly, James said he was much more focused in his work; he felt he was sharper and more focused. I think Owen’s got the horse in a great place and James had a lot of confidence in him after Saturday.”
On his latest effort, Brown said: “Ombudsman had a seven-pound penalty at Sandown. But he’s run him to a neck and if you’re within seven pounds of Ombudsman, you’re in great shape.
“He’ll step forward from that run. He’s run only six times, he’s a lightly raced four-year-old. He’s a big boy who looks like he’s only going to get better with age.
“It’s going to be a completely different test to anything else he’s done, but it’s one of the summer highlights. It’s amazing to have a colt who deserves to be there. We’re looking forward to running him.”
Owen Burrows took on the Ballydoyle contingency in the Irish Derby with the unbeaten Raaheeb on Sunday. He could only manage fourth, and he’ll be hoping it’s not a similar case on Saturday. Constitution River heads the market, who was an impressive winner from stall 15 in the French Derby.
“I don’t know what Aidan’s going to do, but we’ll go and give it our best shot,” concluded Brown.
Wathnan to give Sandown a miss with Damysus
Wathnan won’t send Damysus to join Gethin at Sandown, with York instead the target. Brown said: “I’d have thought the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes would be an obvious next target. It’s an easy mile and a quarter and he ran well in the Dante at York.
Another Wathnan Racing horse rising through the ranks is Paborus, who won the Chipchase from a 364 day layoff on Saturday. His plans are ground dependent, as Brown said: “We won’t run him on fast ground, but he’ll be trained for the Lennox Stakes. If the ground is nice, that will be his next run. If it’s not, there are other options. He doesn’t want it rattling fast and he’s also particularly good on slower ground, so we won’t risk him.”