Big Show From Headman

[Wandering Eyes]

With the recent G3 Hampton Court S. winner Sangarius (GB) and Sunday’s G2 Prix Eugene Adam scorer Headman (GB) in the coffers, Juddmonte are preparing for a seamless continuation of domination in the races that count after Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) eventually steps aside.
‘TDN Rising Star‘ Headman could have been measured against Sangarius at Royal Ascot had the jetstream not played its part, but judged by this ruthless performance it is fortunate for the operation that the weather intervened as it did.
Already established as a genuine top-class prospect having won the prestigious and always-competitive London Gold Cup under topweight, the imposing homebred was facing his first pattern-race test here and emerged with such poise that there can be no doubt that he belongs in the top drawer. Anchored in rear of the main group early by regular rider Jason Watson, the 11-5 second favourite was throwing his considerable weight around under restraint as James Doyle took a pull on the leader Jalmoud (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Now that everything is clicking into place for the massive bay, no amount of stop-start tactics were going to disturb his formidable momentum and after being pulled off the rail as he began the turn for home he loomed with all his advantageous physicality. On a day when the French were largely overwhelmed by the cross-channel visiting party, the well-regarded 13-10 favourite Flop Shot (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) was brushed aside with surprising ease as Headman prepared to set upon the Godolphin leader. After subduing that rival just three strides later, the now-familiar Kingman surge came into play and a no-contest was declared.
“He’s a very nice horse and won pretty easy,” Watson said after steering Headman, who was recording a fourth black-type winner from four opportunities on the card for the Brits. “At the start of year, he ran a little bit flat and I thought he was going to struggle to live up to what we thought of him last year but with every run he has kept on improving. They went a good pace early on and then slowed it up, so conditions were not ideal but he put it to bed fairly easily. These are the sort of horses you dream of riding. It’s my first win here and my first day in France.”
Headman, who earned TDN Rising Star status on debut over a mile on Newcastle’s Tapeta at the start of November, had failed by two lengths to give Godolphin’s much-vaunted spring prospect Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal) seven pounds in a Kempton novice race over seven furlongs later that month. One of four TDN Rising Stars to take part in the 10-furlong Newbury conditions event Apr. 12 along with the eventual Listed Surrey S. winner and G3 Jersey S. runner-up Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the Britannia H. runner-up Turgenev (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), he was only sixth sinking into the testing ground there before his leap forward in Newbury’s May 18 London Gold Cup also won by the stable’s fellow Dubawi-sired pair of galacticos Al Kazeem (GB) and Time Test (GB). This race, which was traditionally staged at Maisons-Laffitte, has witnessed some significant British-trained winners en route to bigger schemes such as Dubai Millennium (GB) and this operation’s Twice Over (GB) (Observatory). If Headman was going down what Teddy Grimthorpe termed as “the Time Test route” before being taken out of the Hampton Court, it can now be said that he is on the same road as Twice Over and he has the potential on physique and pedigree to achieve at least some of the same accomplishments as that top-class stalwart.
Trainer Roger Charlton wants to bide his time however and play it cautiously for now with the monster star of his yard.
“He’s a lovely horse, a big and scopey individual who has been learning with every race and has still more to learn,” he said. “He behaved much better during the preliminaries than at Newbury and the traveling did him good.”
Charlton continued, “He was a little bit keen early on in the race, but James Doyle tried to slow it down and so it wasn’t a strong gallop. He has a lot of class and really quickened well in the straight. There are various opportunities for him, but one is to try and remain as long as possible with the three-year-olds and head for the [Aug. 15 G2] Prix Guillaume d’Ornano [at Deauville]. He could take on the older horses now, but personally I’d like to take a patient approach with him as he could be very good as a four-year-old. I’ll see what Prince Khalid wants to do and we’ll take our time to sit and decide.”

Pedigree Notes
Headman’s dam Deliberate (GB) (King’s Best) raced for Flop Shot’s trainer Andre Fabre and won over 10 furlongs on soft ground at Deauville before producing as her first foal the G3 Prix Chloe runner-up Delivery (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) and a year later Projected (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Three-times listed-placed for Fabre in France, he headed to Chad Brown to metamorphose into a classy miler and garnered the 2017 GII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup S.
The second dam is the G2 Prix de Royallieu and G3 Prix de Royaumont winner and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Dance Routine (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), whose Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) secured five victories at the top level including two renewals of the Sword Dancer and was also twice runner-up in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The third dam Apogee (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}) also captured the Royaumont before producing four black-type winners, one of which was Concentric (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) who went on to provide Khalid Abdullah with the indomitable and still-untouchable dual G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Deliberate also has a 2-year-old colt by Oasis Dream (GB) named Conscious (GB) and a filly foal by Siyouni (Fr). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France
PRIX EUGENE ADAM-G2, €130,000, Saint-Cloud, 6-30, 3yo, 10fT, 2:02.66, g/s.
1–HEADMAN (GB), 127, c, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Deliberate (GB), by King’s Best
2nd Dam: Dance Routine (GB), by Sadler’s Wells
3rd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Khalid Abdullah;
B-Juddmonte Farms (East) Ltd (GB); T-Roger Charlton; J-Jason
Watson. €74,100. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, €130,350. *1/2
to Delivery (GB) (Rail Link {GB}), GSP-Fr, and to Projected (GB)
(Showcasing {GB}), GSW-US & MSP-Fr, $607,240. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Jalmoud (GB), 127, c, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Dancing Rain
(Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). O/B–Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie
Appleby. €28,600.
3–Flop Shot (Ire), 127, c, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Dancequest
(Ire), by Dansili (GB). O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (IRE); T-Andre
Fabre. €13,650.
Margins: 3, 3HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.20, 4.60, 1.30.
Also Ran: Flambeur, Skazino (Fr), Montviette (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

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