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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Approaching Christmas four years ago, a still slightly gawky chestnut two-year-old jumped from the stalls for his debut in the 1m3f British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes and had to be rousted along by his jockey just to remain in touch with the rest of the field. In last place around the first bend and along the back stretch, he looked as though his 100/1 starting price was justified. But then he woke up. And on the home turn and down the straight he started to scythe through his opponents until the lead was his, the two joint-favourites trailing in his wake at the line. Hopefully the name Giavellotto went into a few notebooks that day, but most of us were probably a little preoccupied by Christmas shopping. We know his name now of course, and on Friday the son of Mastercraftsman hopped back on a plane in preparation to defend his crown in the G1 Hong Kong Vase this coming Sunday. That victory a year ago over his Newmarket neighbour Dubai Honour was Giavellotto's first at the highest level, but he has an impressive record now, which includes back-to-back wins in the G2 Yorkshire Cup, as well as a G2 Princess of Wales's Stakes victory at his home track and third-place finishes in the St Leger, Irish St Leger and Coronation Cup. His latest eye-catching run was to finish fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, though this important race had not initially been on his trainer Marco Botti's plans for the horse in 2025. “It's always been the case that it's best not to overface him,” says Botti of his stable star. “He likes a little bit of time between races. Unfortunately, we were forced to miss the Princess of Wales's at the July meeting. His scope wasn't great, and luckily the owners understood, because we had won it last year and it was a race we wanted to run in. But we weren't 100 per cent happy with him, so we were forced to give him a little bit more time and then bring him back for the September Stakes. And it was only after that race, when he beat Kalpana, that we thought we would have to seriously consider the Arc. She was the [Arc] favourite, so it would have been silly not to.” He continues, “When the decision was made, the forecast looked really good. Two weeks before the Arc, it looked like it was going in the direction of a dry spell. Then, obviously, everything changed and when that storm came across it didn't do us any favours, but in that bad ground he was still terrific, wasn't he? You could see in the first part of the race he took a while to just find his feet. And actually, I was worried after a couple of furlongs that he wasn't really travelling, and I thought he was just struggling a bit, but Andrea [Atzeni, jockey] just patiently left him to find his rhythm and then in the straight he picked up.” Freshened up after that run in early October, Giavellotto is pleasing his trainer still. He had his last piece of serious work on the Al Bahathri on Thursday morning under Marco Ghiani before boarding the horsebox to catch his flight to Hong Kong on Friday. This he does with relish, apparently. “He loves to travel,” says Botti. It's just as well because so far he has taken his owner-breeder Francesca Franchini of Scuderia La Tesa to many of the major tracks around Britain, as well as Dubai, Saudi Arabia, France, and of course Hong Kong. Franchini is plainly smitten with the statuesque stallion she bred from the Galileo mare Gerika. To the headcollar Giavellotto wears at Botti's Prestige Place she has attached a tag which proclaims 'I'm the King'. Since April 2024, she has owned him in partnership with Vaibhav Shah. Botti says that no stallion stud has yet been forthcoming with an offer to stand the horse, who almost ended up racing in Australia in his earlier days. “It's been a good journey because most of these horses, as we all know, get sold, so unfortunately most of the trainers, we lose these horses and you don't have a chance to go for the good meetings. He was almost sold as a three-year-old then it fell through, otherwise he would have gone to Australia and that would have been it,” he says. “Luckily for us – and now I can say we were lucky it didn't happen – we get to have him as a six-year-old. He ran well in the St Leger as a three-year-old, he did well as a four-year-old, five, and now six. “As a two-year-old, he was a bit of a handful, and he can be on some days. He likes his routine but generally overall he's fine. My head man Andrew [Morris] gets on so well with him. He's one of the horses that if you change the rider he can get upset. But Andrew, knows him inside out and they get on well, so him being a colt hasn't been a problem at all.” 'I'm The King' reads the tag on Giavellotto's headcollar | Emma Berry Of the prospect of Giavellotto racing on as a seven-year-old, he adds, “Ajay Anne is the racing manager for Mr Shah and we all are thinking the same in that, let's see how it goes in Hong Kong. But the general feeling is that unless something happens in terms of a stud wanting to stand him, he will probably race on next year.” Botti is also overseeing Giavellotto's youngest and final half-brother Gioco Di Squadra, by St Mark's Basilica, who is also chestnut and is out on Warren Hill in the lot after his more celebrated sibling. “Marco Ghiani has ridden most of his gallops and he said Giavellotto felt as good [on Thursday] as he was last year before he went to Hong Kong,” says Botti. “He looks enthusiastic and happy, he's got a good skin. Touch wood, I don't think we could be happier with what we've seen so far. He looks great.” The trainer does admit to having been surprised to a degree by his win at Sha Tin last year. “We kept campaigning him over a mile and six [furlongs] thinking, yes, he was showing more speed, but at the same time, before going to Hong Kong, I felt maybe the mile and a half there was a bit of a sharper than we have in Europe. The straight is just over two furlongs. But then he surprised me, with the turn of foot he showed that day. I mean, obviously he's a solid horse, he's a good horse. He always gives his best on the track, but to get checked and just reorganise himself, he found an extra gear to then pick up and win the race going away. I thought it was quite impressive,” he says. Giavellotto's half-brother Gioco Di Squadra | Emma Berry “Maybe it looks a slightly better field this year than last year, and you always hope you won't draw on the outside and those kind of things. Andrea is going to take the ride. I thought he rode a very good race in the Arc. “It's huge prize-money and when you've got a horse that can travel there and run so well, it makes sense. His owner-breeder Francesca Franchini had the greatest experience winning the race. She couldn't believe it, the set-up on race day and the experience of Hong Kong. So after the race, it was like, well, we've got to come back next year. It has been the priority this season.” Botti, whose training career has been defined by international success through the likes of North American Grade I winners Capla Temptress, Euro Charline, Gitano Hernando and Joshua Tree, as well as globetrotters Jakkalberry, Planteur and Tac De Boistron, is only too aware of his good fortune in still being able to muse over plans for Giavellotto as he approaches his seventh birthday. “Like I said, mostly we have had to sell our better horses as two- or three-year-olds, like Folgaria and Tatsumaki,” he says. “So to actually be able to still have him in the yard – I think it's been a great story, for the yard and the staff, we all need that kind of horse, to be able to enjoy a few nice trips abroad. He's been all over the place and he owes no one anything, really.” The post ‘I Don’t Think We Could Be Happier’: Marco Botti on Giavellotto’s Return to Hong Kong appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
With his background in real estate, NYRA chairman and Jockey Club steward Marc Holliday is the ideal person to guide the organization's future and construction of Belmont Park. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
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By Chief Stipe · Posted
Blah blah. Luckily you haven't right about much to date. -
Still the same Newmarket . this year 'Larry' had 21 starts for 15 wins and 5 x 2nd placings. Had a Massive Clean sweep of the Interdominion in July. Last year he had the 15 wins and one 2nd from 16 starts. and didn't start in the NSW Interdominion , which was won by Don Hugo . Don Hugo going on to defeat Leap To Fame fair and square in the Miracle Mile this year in very fast time to show his quality , and also beat him last Saturday night in QLD. a very fine race-horse. Leap To Fame did beat him (Don Hugo) in your Big Slot race at Cambridge this year so got one back on him anyway. Leap To Fame is running the same race times still as last year. (very quick ones that break hearts lol 😂 ) and yes you're right with KINGMAN , a stable-mate of Don Hugo , has improved greatly this Spring and Won the Victoria Cup and NZ Cup very well over Leap To Fame. Luke McCarthy is such a good horseman , and is the best in Australia. so that's what it takes to beat 'Larry' and has done it a few times now. Footnote : Luke drove a 25-1 shot (Encipher) to beat Leap To Fame (2nd) just over 2 years ago in Australia's richest race too . The $2,000,000 Eureka . so Luke is proving a bit of a thorn in the side of the champ at times lol 🙄.
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