Royal Ascot: Shareholder investment pays dividends with Norfolk win

Shareholder provided trainer Karl Burke and owners Wathnan Racing with a second two-year-old winner in as many days at Royal Ascot with a smart victory in the Norfolk Stakes. Tropical Storm was second, with Arizona Blaze a close third.

Shareholder provided trainer Karl Burke and owners Wathnan Racing with a second two-year-old winner in as many days at Royal Ascot with a smart victory in the Norfolk Stakes.

The Spigot Lodge handler teamed up with the Qatar-based owners and jockey James Doyle to land the opening Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday’s card with the impressive Leovanni and Shareholder was a 12/1 shot to follow suit for the same connections in the day-three curtain-raiser.

Turning out just 12 days after overcoming greenness to make a successful debut at Beverley, the €460,000 purchase travelled strongly throughout in the five-strong group that raced on the far side of the track and despite edging left late on, he passed the post a length to the good.

Tropical Storm filled the runner-up spot, with Arizona Blaze a close-up third and 10/11 favourite Whistlejacket in fourth.

Doyle said: “He’s still learning. I tried to keep a lid on him for as long as possible, until we got down to the inside pole, I just wanted to give him time to get organised.

“His debut was a bit messy at Beverley, it’s a hard place to teach a horse, but he learned plenty.

“He’s got a big engine. A big thank you to Karl Burke, he’s produced these horses lovely, which isn’t an easy thing to do.

“He was very confident, Karl, so when he is confident, you respect his opinion.”

Of the owners, Doyle added: “It’s great for British racing to have a superpower like this really getting behind British racing. It’s been a tough sell, our sport, hasn’t it, so we have to really take note when people want to invest and they deserve all the success.”

Burke feels the best is still to come from Shareholder.

He said: “He is a very good horse I think, he did a lot wrong first time out when we’d only had him six weeks. That was his first run and we had to back him up quickly to come here, he took a huge step forward after that first run.

“Mentally, as well as physically, he improved and I think you saw that there. That was the plan and I’ll get home and discuss it with Richard Brown and the guys from Wathnan, but I’d see no problem stepping him up to six furlongs, maybe more.

“I’d be surprised if he’d be a Guineas horse – though I wouldn’t rule it out, I would be surprised.

“We’re still learning a lot about this horse but from what I’ve seen so far, I think he’s very good.”

Richard Ryan, racing manager to the owners of Tropical Storm, Teme Valley Racing, said: “He’s had an interrupted prep and a tiny, silly setback and fair play to Andrew (Balding), who has had a lot of belief in this horse for a long time.

“He’s got a mind to die for and he’s like an old handicapper and this opens the door for all sorts of targets ongoing from here. He’s a very good horse and bar that little hiccup, I think they would all have sat up today – we will have our day, I’m sure. I think he might be a hot thing in a maiden!”

Adrian Murray said of Arizona Blaze: “We’re delighted and he ran an absolute blinder. When you are on the world stage here, it is tough.

“David (Egan) said he would be even better if we stepped him up a furlong to six – six on good ground, five on slightly slower. He’s won on soft and on good ground, he’s a very versatile horse.

“We’ve entered him in all the big ones, the top two-year-old races, so we will see how he comes out of today and pick and choose where we go.

“He’s a gorgeous horse and he would be very much on a par with Valiant Force (last year’s winner). But this fella would probably be that little bit more mature, he’s a bit like a three-year-old and has a lot of strength about him.”

Aidan O’Brien said of Whistlejacket: “Ryan (Moore) felt he was a bit relaxed and maybe I didn’t have him sharp enough. His last run was on soft ground and Ryan said he finished off well but was just a little bit relaxed through the middle of the race.”

Watch every race from Royal Ascot live on Sky Sports Racing this week.