Royal Ascot: Shareholder wins Norfolk, earns Breeders’ Cup slot

Shareholder won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds Thursday at Royal Ascot, earning a guaranteed start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Twenty-four hours after guiding Leovanni to success in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) for trainer Karl Burke, James Doyle repeated the feat on Shareholder. The son of Not This Time broke slowly in the 13-horse field, but soon settled into his rhythm in the smaller group of five on the far side of the track.

He moved smoothly into contention approaching the final furlong and took up the running before powering home to win by 1 length over Tropical Storm. Arizona Blaze raced on his own up the near-side rail and was a fast-finishing third for the same connections as last year’s shock 150-1 winner Valiant Force. The winning time for the five furlongs was 59.77 seconds on a course rated good to firm.

Shareholder was bred in Kentucky by Skyfall Thoroughbreds  and brought $62,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Before making his debut as a 2-year-old, he was purchased at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale for €460,000 by Wathnan Racing. He subsequently made a sparkling start to his racing career in the Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes at Beverley before heading to Ascot.

“I’m delighted; he’s a lovely horse,” Burke said after the race. “We haven’t had him very long, but he’s done nothing but please us at home. I wouldn’t see any problem stepping back up to six furlongs if we want to. Races like the Sumbe Prix Morny (G1) come into the equation. I don’t see why we wouldn’t go straight to a Group 1 now.”

Looking ahead to the Breeders’ Cup, Burke admitted he would love to go one better than he did in 2022 in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“I thought we’d won at Keeneland with Dramatised, but she just got collared in the last fifty yards,” he said. “So that same race at Del Mar is a possibility. The ground wouldn’t be an issue with this horse.”