Angus Gold is known as the gold standard when it comes to choosing horses. And he does it with pleasure for HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The warm affable gentleman with a lovely sense of humour and a genuine smile, (which even come across on the telephone), are supposed to be the trademark of the man who has been with His Highness since the beginning of his career.
“The only contribution that I can make for H.H Sheikh Hamdan is to find decent horses, which leads to a certain amount of satisfaction when they win.”
“I know for Sheikh Hamdan, the focus is on the homebreds. And getting a good homebred is good for the whole team.”
Gold is a regular feature at the top sales around the world.
“They can’t all be good, but when you do get a good one it makes it even more satisfying.”
He has been known to say that sales’ season essentials include ‘Good manners, endless stamina and a large dose of humour.’ He should know, having been to most of the big sales around the world, his team has now become a well-known fixture.
His 2019 stable stars include Mohaather by Showcasing, who won the Horris Hill Stakes. The three-year-old colt is in training with Marcus Tregoning.
“Hopefully he can make up into a Guineas horse.”
“He won the Horris Hill like a nice horse; I was impressed with him. With a little improvement he would be a live Guineas chance. There was no fluke about the way he won that. If he came out and ran well in the Guineas trial, he could make up into a Guineas horse.”
Gold highlights Rakan as another star he is excited by.
“Trained by Dermot Weld in Ireland, he is exciting because he is a beautifully bred horse by Sea The Stars out of a mare called Tarfasha who was second to Taghrooda, in the Oaks.”
Both mares Taghrooda and the Tarfasha by Teofilo are owned by HH Sheikh Hamdan.
“Rakan is her first foal. He won his maiden well, though he is obviously bred to be more of a middle- distance horse.
“So hopefully he could be pretty good.”
“The other nice horse we have in Europe, trained by Kevin Pendergast is called Madhmoon.”
“The homebred by Dawn Approach won impressively twice last season and looks like a good horse. He is not an overly big horse but looked very high class when he won.”
“He would be our other obvious chance for the Classics.”
The undefeated colt is from the Galileo line. He won both his maiden and Group Two Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown.”
William Haggas trained Jahbath punched his ticket to the UAE Derby (which is on the 2019 Dubai World Cup card) by winning the Stakes Conditions’ race at Kempton and the son of Mukhadram has now been confirmed a definite runner on World Cup night.
Gold has contributed significantly to a very solid bloodstock trade at the major 2018 Thoroughbred sales. He not only picked up plenty of stayers and middle-distance horses, but also signed on behalf of His Highness for a series of youngsters bred for speed and precocity.
The Shadwell racing manager, keenly awaits to see how the latest arrivals to the Shadwell racing barns fare this season.
“We have three or four nice colts who didn’t get to run on grass. They ran later in the year on the all-weather (track), winning their maidens.”
“So, we have three or four potentially decent horses, who could be good if they improve.”
“I look for an athletic intelligent horse with a genuine eye and outlook.”
“The horse should look like it will be willing to try for you. That’s my most important criteria.”
In closing, he again spoke of how he considers H.H Sheikh Hamdan as his racing leadership hero.
“The Maktoum family have made an immense contribution to the racing industry worldwide. Without their encouragement there would have been a definite gap over the last two decades”
Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com