Earth Shot Gave an Immediate Impact to Wathnan Racing in the Ribblesdale Stakes

The filly acquired right before Royal Ascot responded immediately with a valuable G2 conquest for William Haggas, edging past Johanna Walsh at the wire in a race filled with incidents

BERKSHIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).– One of the acquisitions made by Wathnan Racing in the lead-up to Royal Ascot has already begun to return the investment. Earth Shot, incorporated after her last performance at Goodwood, showed all her quality this Thursday by capturing the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2), one of the most important events for 3-year-old staying fillies within the royal meeting.

The daughter of Earthlight had to overcome an extremely incident-filled race to secure the victory. Just as the stall gates opened, Lady Roisia (St Mark's Basilica) unseated Hector Crouch and ran loose for a good portion of the trip, causing constant complications for several of the participants.

While Johanna Walsh (Sea the Stars) appeared heading for victory after taking the lead in the straight, James Doylefinally found the necessary room to launch the late bid of Earth Shot, who caught her rival in the decisive meters to edge her out by a head. The French-trained Gilded Prize (Frankel) completed the trifecta, finishing 1 length behind the runner-up.

Trained by William Haggas, Earth Shot had changed hands after finishing a close second in the Height Of Fashion Stakes (L) at Goodwood, a performance that convinced Wathnan Racing to add her to its powerhouse roster.

"I am delighted with her," Haggas commented. "She was always a beautiful filly, and I always said she needed soft ground. At Goodwood, she probably deserved to win. William Buick had ridden her when she was second to one of our fillies last year, and he told me she was very good. When William Buick tells you something like that, it is usually worth listening to."

The trainer added: "For a middle-distance filly, winning the Ribblesdale is probably the second most important thing after the Oaks. It is a massive race to win."

Doyle also highlighted the winner's merit in overcoming all the traffic issues during the running: "With a loose horse in the race, you are always relying a bit on luck. She was traveling very relaxed, and when we hit the turn, she began to make headway with a lot of strength. Then I lost quite a bit of momentum when I had to avoid the riderless horse, but every time I balanced her, she accelerated again. When she finally got organized, she showed a tremendous amount of heart."

Furthermore, the jockey especially valued the success after a challenging start to the week for the team: "Royal Ascot can be very humbling. We had plenty of opportunities over the previous days, and things hadn't gone our way. That is why when you get a victory here, you really have to enjoy it."

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of the runner-up Johanna Walsh, was equally satisfied with his filly's performance: "It was a messy race due to the loose horse. It surely hurt us a bit, although I think it also affected the winner. We are very proud of her. She is a daughter of Sea The Stars with an extraordinary pedigree, and I am convinced that her best days are ahead of her."

Oisin Murphy also praised the performance of the French-trained Gilded Prize, who finished third: "She ran very well. She had a perfect trip along the inside and found all the gaps. Then the finish got a bit complicated with the loose horse and some movements from the rivals, but she had every opportunity."

Meanwhile, for Wathnan Racing, the triumph represented a fresh demonstration of the aggressiveness and efficiency of its acquisition policy, adding a Group victory on one of the most prestigious stages in the world just days after securing the main protagonist.