First stakeswinner for Olympic Glory
Al Shaqab Racing's champion sprinter-miler Olympic Glory opened his stakes account as a sire when the filly Watch Me won in France on 10 November. (PHOTO: Darren Tindale)
Olympic Glory’s first stakeswinner may well be prophetically named – Watch Me – if the champion sprinter-miler builds on the good start he’s made with his first-crop European juveniles in 2018.
Watch Me (ex Watchful by Galileo) put up a strong performance at her second start to win Saturday’s Criterium du Languedoc-Prix Bernard de Marmiesse 1600m LR at Toulouse in France.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for owners Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer & Mme Regula Vannod, the filly coped admirably with the big jump in class from her debut third at Saint-Cloud to score by 1.25 lengths from Go To Hollywood, with Good Complicity a length away in third place.
It was the Graffard stable’s third win in the race after the colt Cornwallville in 2014 & subsequently Group 1-placed filly Heuristique in 2016.
— Canalturf (@canalturf) November 10, 2018
Watch Me and the Simon Brogi-trained colt Karaktair (ex Feelin Foxy by Foxhound) completed a double for Olympic Glory at Toulouse, and took his tally of 2YO winners from his first European crop to 18.
Olympic Glory’s first 62 Australian yearlings offered at the 2018 sales averaged more than $85,000, with a top price of $600,000 for the colt out of Dowtown Manhattan. Named Sandre, he will be raced in Japan by Northern Farm.
Olympic Glory’s Australian-based 2YOs will race from the stables of several leading trainers including Peter & Paul Snowden, Darren Weir, Mick Price, Paul Perry, John O’Shea, Gerald Ryan, Ron Quinton, Tony Gollan, Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra and Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young.
