Wathnan Chart Path Towards Gold Cup With Courage Mon Ami And Gregory

[Wandering Eyes]

The Ascot Gold Cup is the main priority for defending champion Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and St Leger third Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), according to Richard Brown, racing advisor for owners Wathnan Racing. 

The John and Thady Gosden-trained duo gave the Qatar-based operation the perfect start to their ownership enterprise last season.

Both horses hold entries for the Boodles Yorkshire Cup on May 17, while Sandown's Henry II S. a week later is another possible option for the duo to tune up for their main summer assignment.

Brown said, “Both are well and pointing towards the Ascot Gold Cup and obviously there are a few races they can run in before then. John and Thady are still to decide who is going where and where either of them is going to go.

“There are only a couple of options and at the moment we're slightly nervous about the ground. It may be that they both have to run in the same race, but we hope that is not the case.

“There is obviously York and Sandown and both races feed nicely into Ascot.”

Meanwhile, another of Wathnan's young stars, Isaac Shelby (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), has run his last race and has been retired after suffering an injury when second in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein at the end of last season.

Trained by Brian Meehan, the consistent operator was acquired by Wathnan after claiming the Greenham Stakes on his three-year-old bow and was only a whisker away from Classic honours in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains on his first outing in their colours.

“We've retired Isaac Shelby and he suffered an injury in France when he ran on Arc day,” continued Brown.

“He's back sound but there was risk with going back and racing him and considering he nearly gave Wathnan a dream start in Paris, there was absolutely no chance they were going to risk the horse, so they have retired him.

“A plan hasn't been made for him, but he's in Newmarket and we're just letting him down and we will figure things out for him in the coming months.”

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