When Steve and Kevin turn up at the sales and wade through thousands of horses month after month it is to find the ultimate champion. All winners are important, from the sellers through to the Derby. For some owners a winner round Southwell on a winters evening is as exciting as Royal Ascot but we are all looking for that star when we set out on that venture. Group winners are so hard to come by, you are extremely lucky to ever taste that success but then the really rare, almost impossible horse to find is the Classic winner. Kevin and Steve have managed to do it once and this year there could be another to take her chance in the classy Ashadihan. 

The Grey Gatsby reached racing’s highest echelon and there are a few similarities between himself and Ashadihan. The breeze up sales have been a happy hunting ground for Kevin with many of his best horses be sourced from those sales. The Grey Gatsby came from the Arqanna breeze up and ended up back in France for his Classic victory. When Kevin and Steve stood on the Rowley to watch the breeze, a strapping Kyllachy filly by Miss Delila really took the eye, moving beautifully and setting a good time. When the hammer dropped at £48,000, Kevin had secured the filly he wanted. How telling it would be if Ashadihan, a year on from her purchase, could return to where it all started and tackle one of racing’s great races. 

Mr T A Rahman has been a great supporter of Hambleton Lodge ever since he purchased his first horse with Kevin in 2011. Not many owners can talk of immediate success but when Bapak Chinta took the 2011 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot he set the ball rolling. For a man who has such a passion and love of horses, Mr Rahman has never missed the Royal meeting since and it has been Kevin’s job to try and find another horse good enough to run there again. They had to wait but once Ashadihan came along, there was a sense that she could be the one. 

The Guineas breeze up sale is a great source of winners throughout racing but it does come along when the season is beginning to get into full swing and it is quite close to Royal Ascot already. Fortunately Kevin already knew the family of Ashadihan and having been bred at Highbank Stud, who have horses in training and are friends of Kevin, he already had a good idea of what the filly was like. From the first piece of work that she did it was obvious that Royal Ascot was a realistic target. The more and more she did the more impressive she got and it wouldn’t be long before she showed everyone what she was capable of. 

 DEBUT

28th May 2015 was the date Ashadihan made her debut at Haydock, just  a month shy of her sale. There was a lot of confidence behind her making a strong debut but it is always hard to know just how they will handle the whole occasion and experience. From the moment she entered the pre parade ring she was the ultimate professional. It looked as though Ashadihan was a seasoned veteran rather than a 2 year old making her first appearance on a racecourse.

As the gates opened  Ashadihan jumped a little to the left, forcing Jamie Spencer to straighten her up. With others around starting well, she was held up toward the rear of the field but quickly got into a good rhythm. From the outset the pace was strong and it allowed Jamie to let his filly take her time, to get comfortable with racing among other horses. Ashadihan was taking to racing well and she travelled easily throughout the contest despite the pace of the race. Due to her lack of experience it was always going to be interesting to see how she could handle coming off the bridle and coming through horses. By the 2f marker the race was on and there were plenty of the field making their way for home. Ashadihan continued to travel with ease and had slowly pulled her way to midfield with minimal effort. Now buried in between plenty of rivals she was going to need a gap. Luckily a small one did appear but it was small and daunting but without hesitation Ashadihan stuck her head into and breezed through smoothly. Jamie had still yet to ask the question and it wasn’t until the final furlong that he loosened the reins. As he did Ashadihan quickened clear and was gone in a matter of strides. She put the race to bed immediately and Jamie was pulling her up as she crossed the line, comfortably winning by 3 lengths, eased down.

It was a very impressive debut and Kevin immediately nominated the Albany at Royal Ascot as her target, although it was just under 3 weeks away.

Ashadihan wins her Maiden on debut at Haydock

ROYAL ASCOT

It is one of the world’s best and biggest meetings but Royal Ascot is very demanding, especially on the juveniles. The racing is top class and it can take a lot out of a 2 year old but Ashadihan was a big, strapping filly who everyone felt could handle the test. There was one worry and that was the quicker ground she would face as she was a top heavy filly with quite a high knee action.

As the day arrived she once again showed her great attitude, taking in everything and not being phased by all the noise and crowds. After seeing one day of racing already the draw of stall 1 looked like a big hindrance but she was there and she would take her chance.

As the stalls opened Jamie had to quickly take a pull and settle her at the rear of the field. This move was key as it now allowed the pair enough space to track across to the far side group where the draw bias had been throughout the first days racing. Unfortunately this cost Ashadihan quite a bit of ground but she was now in the best position possible although a long way back from the leaders. It was a typically strong pace and it was set up to be a good test for all the fillies that had lined up. Ashadihan travelled well at the rear of the field and she showed the same cruising speed as she did on debut. Obviously herwin at Haydock was due to the turn of foot she had shown but the question was going to be could she do it now having stepped up to group class.

By halfway Ashadihan had travelled nicely and moved through a few of the back markers to just sit behind midfield. As they moved towards the final 2f and the business end of the race she sat next to the favourite Illuminate. The favourite moved forward and as Jamie went to track her there just wasn’t any room to manoeuvre. In a couple of strides the gap did appear and Jamie sent his mount in pursuit of the favourite. The two fillies had made their way from the rear of the field and both now cut through their rivals. Ashadihan  got to the girths of Illuminate as the favourite took the lead. There was only a furlong left to run and Ashadihan tried to get on top but as the line drew closer Ashadihan’s chance of victory just started to wane. Illuminate went on to win by 1 1/2 lengths but Ashadihan had run with great credit and proved that she was a quality filly. Jamie said she had run a huge race and she was a very good horse but he also added that the draw had been a massive factor in her defeat as she had to use so much energy up getting across to the far side due to the bias. 

Ashadihan chases home Illuminate in the Albany Stakes

It was a fantastic race and everyone was delighted with the performance. The result really gave everyone an injection of excitement of what she could develop into and Mr Rahman was already looking forward to her next run.

Jamie Spencer’s thoughts of Ashadihan ahead of the Albany Stakes 

LOWTHER

After the fine run at Ascot there were plenty of options for Ashadihan and the future looked bright. Jamie’s comments after the race were very positive and he felt the options were to stick to 6f but she would get 7f easily. He also felt that although she handled the ground at Ascot, Ashadihan would be better with some ease in the ground. Before any decisions were made Kevin decided to give his filly a couple of weeks break to get over the big occasion. 

There were races coming up all over and the choices were endless. The obvious next step was to go to the Duchess of Cambridge, a group 2 race over 6f at Newmarket July. This would have set up a clash with her conqueror Illuminate and there would have been confidence of a reversal of the result. Although this would have been a nice race to be involved in, Kevin just felt it came a little soon for his filly and so nominated the Lowther Stakes at York, one month later in August. 

The Ebor is probably Kevin’s favourite meeting, it has great racing, great atmosphere and is just down the road. It’s usually glorious sunshine in Yorkshire and the crowds enjoy the weather and top quality racing. Unfortunately the weather had been hit and miss during the week and the Lowther was set to be run on good to soft ground. This pleased connections as Jamie had said all along that you would see the best out of Ashadihan with ease in the ground. Confidence was high despite the high quality of the race and Ashadihan looked in peak condition having been given a little extra time to mature and rest after Ascot. 

The race was over almost as soon as it started. The start was good and once again Jamie settled Ashadihan towards the rear as the leaders jumped and set a very strong gallop. She quickly got into her stride and was in a nice rhythm as the field blitzed through the first furlong. Alarm bells started ringing very quickly though and it wasn’t long before Jamie was niggling away, trying to get Ashadihan to come back onto the bridle. The pace of the race was relentless and as Ashadihan struggled the others were inching away from her. By halfway it was clear to everyone that the race was over and something wasn’t right. Unfortunately Ashadihan trailed in last and the head scratching began. With everyone else else confused Jamie pointed to a few factors that caused the disappointing run. The ground, described as good to soft, was actually drying out and had become very tacky and rode like glue something she couldn’t handle due to her size. He also said she felt as though she was growing again and felt a little weak beneath him. Jamie never lost faith but felt that a possible race at the back end of the year over 7f would see her bounce back to her best. Disappointed but not disheartened Mr Rahman and Kevin looked towards the future, knowing they still had a very good horse.

As the season progressed there were a few opportunities. The 7f Rockfel was possible but the ground went soft, then the 6f Firth Of Clyde but once again the ground wasn’t ideal. In the end it was decided that Ashadihan should wait until her 3 year old career, allowing her time to fill out into her frame. As the season continued it proved how good the Lowther actually was. The second, Lumiere, who had a huge reputation went on to reverse the places and capture the Group 1 Cheveley Park. Winner Besahrah chased her home that day to finish third and splitting the pair was Illuminate. Eastern Angel who had finished third at York was placed at group level again and the fifth home, Quiet Reflection, destroyed the field in the group 3 Cornwallis and listed Roses stakes. This just showed the level of form that Ashadihan had during her three runs and it all tied in with the best juvenile fillies.

2016 

Ashadihan had a good long winter break at The National Stud and she came back to training just before Christmas. The break looks to have done her very well and she has really grown and strengthened from 2 to 3 years old. Now back into full training the idea will be to aim for a classic, but how will she get there?

Having only run over 6f it is hard to know whether she will make the step up to 7f and a mile. Despite being by star sprinter Kyllachy, her dam injects a bit of stamina suggesting the mile would be well within her reach. Jamie Spencer has ridden her on all her starts and also in her home work and he feels, along with Kevin, that you will see the best out of her when she is stepped up in trip. It is always interesting at this time of year because the dream is still alive and all the preparations are going ahead for a tilt at a classic. 

In the weeks leading up to the classics there are many trials. Depending on how she runs and Kevin’s feelings she could turn up at either of the Guineas. Ashadihan holds entries in the English, Irish and French 1000 Guineas so there will be decisions will have to be made.

The Fred Darling is a group 3 event over 7f at Newbury. It has produced many good fillies and is one of the main trials for the Guineas. Newbury is a flat, galloping track and does not contain the undulations that the Rowley Mile does. The other main trial is the Nell Gwynn which is run at the Rowley Mile over 7f and is a group 3 event. This obviously gives the runners the exact feel they will get if they were to turn up at the Guineas as it is run at the same course. Finally there is a a trial at Leopardstown that attracts Ireland’s main 1000 Guineas hopes. Leopardstown offers a different test as it is round a bend rather than straight which is totally different to the straight mile at the Rowley. The Irish Guineas is run at the Curragh and is also round the bend so it is a good trial for that race. 

Ashadihan could easily be aimed for one of the above races and it will certainly be used as a trial. Depending on how she runs will determine the season ahead for her. The trials offer a great insight into what they are capable of and whether or not they will see out the trip required for the classic distance. Whatever Ashadihan does on her first start will give Kevin all the information he needs when he plans out the rest of her year.