Charlie Hills Stable Tour 2020

Charlie Hills has the highest-rated sprinter in the world in his yard in Battaash, but that is far from the end of the talent at his disposal this year when it comes to the speed events.

Battaash is still the undoubted stable star at Wetherdown House and will not have to worry about Blue Point when he bids to finally add the King’s Stand Stakes to his impressive haul of victories.

Yet in addition Hills has Khaadem, who looked a horse with a big future when scorching home in the Stewards’ Cup in 2019, and Equilateral, who was in good form at Meydan earlier in the year, while he can also welcome back the veteran sprinter Magical Memory after two years off with injury.

There is even a two-year-old sister to Battaash to look forward to as well.

Hills enjoyed Classic success with Phoenix Of Spain last year and will be represented by Persuasion in Saturday’s Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, while Afaak and Royal Commando are among his Royal Ascot contenders.

Stable facts

Yard – Wetherdown House

Where – Lambourn, Berkshire

Started training – 2011

Horses in yard – 110

Strike-rate last season – 21%

Total prize-money 2019 – £1,623,004

Assistant trainer – Joe Herbert

Travelling head grooms – Geoff Snook, John Burrows

Jockeys – The best available

Website – charleshills.com

Winners in Britain for the last five seasons

2019 – 68

2018 – 62

2017 – 70

2016 – 76

2015 – 71

Profit/loss to a £1 stake

2019 – -£92.47

2018 – -£72.59

2017 – -£161.41

2016 – -£192.65

2015 – -£84.95

Older Horses

Six-year-old gelding Oasis Dream (sire) – Ghanaati (dam)

Owner: Hamdan Al Maktoum

Form figures: 0/15004-

Racing Post Rating: 113; Official rating 106

He’ll go for the Royal Hunt Cup again and we’re happy with where he is at the moment. He won the race first time out last year and looks a lot better in his coat this year. I’m sure he’s worth his chance in Group races after Ascot and we’ll probably try to step him up to a mile and a quarter.

7 g Elnadim – Royal Blush

Tony Wechsler & Ann Plummer

0962-78

RPR 109 OR 96

We took him to Dubai through the winter but it didn’t really work out there for him. He looks great in his coat but we’ll just wait for a couple more weeks because we feel the pollen levels are knocking him a bit. The Portland will be a target again as he seems to love Doncaster.

6 g Dark Angel – Anna Law

Hamdan Al Maktoum

4/12110-

RPR 129 OR 126

Like last year, we couldn’t be happier with this horse. We’ve got a good team working around him with Viktoria [Gatu], who rides him every day, and we’ve had Dane [O’Neill] coming in to ride him in his fast work. I’ve been really pleased with his work and he’s looking great, with his summer coat having come through. We’ll go to the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot and then have a look at the rest of the year, but we’ve got a race less for him this time which might just leave him a bit fresher towards the backend. To win the King George at Goodwood for four years in a row would be pretty special and the Nunthorpe at York is a big event for him.

4 g Kyllachy – Miss Elegance

K Abdullah

111-3

RPR 94 OR 88

He’s a good-looking horse with a great attitude and has done really well since he last ran in January. I think I probably got the trip wrong that day and I’ll bring him back to six furlongs next time. I wouldn’t think he’d want it too soft as he’s a really good-moving horse.

5 g Equiano – Tarentaise

K Abdullah

7616-12

RPR 112 OR 108

He did great at Meydan and has held his coat really well since coming back. We thought about the Palace House this weekend but instead he’ll go straight to the King’s Stand as he does seem to run his best races fresh. He’s got a lot of speed and is a class horse.

4 c Acclamation – Queen Of Power

Mrs Susan Roy

4/11230-

RPR 108 OR 108

He’s done fantastically well physically but I just haven’t been happy with him in his work this year so we might take our time. It’s been a very dry spring so I just want to give him a chance to find himself. It’s going to be a long year and it will be worth waiting a little bit and coming back with a fresh horse later in the year. He’s a beautiful-looking horse with a lot of ability and I’m sure there’s a big race in him somewhere – it would be lovely to think he’d be good enough to stand at stud one day. He spent most of his time last year running over five furlongs and I’m quite keen to try him over six at some stage.

4 c Dark Angel – White Daffodil

Hamdan Al Maktoum

172100-

RPR 119 OR 114

He goes straight to the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot and I’m really looking forward to getting him on fast ground again. It was really soft when he last ran at Ascot and he still ran a pretty decent race. Before that he had a little niggle with a foot leading up to the Sprint Cup at Haydock so he didn’t have the ideal preparation. He’d been very impressive when he won the Stewards’ Cup and he’s a horse who is only going to improve with age. He seems to have wintered great, we haven’t missed a day with him and his work has been good as well – Jim Crowley has come to sit on him a couple of times and we’ve liked what we’ve seen.

8 g Zebedee – Marasem

Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds I

403/040/

RPR 118 OR 105

It’s a pleasure to have this horse back in the yard after an injury behind which took a lot of time. He went back to Peter Winkworth’s stud and Kennet Valley have done a great job with him. His work has been really nice and he still seems to be showing the same enthusiasm. He’s declared at Newmarket on Friday but I’m just a little bit concerned the ground might be a bit quick after he has spent all this time off. He’s qualified for the Wokingham so that might be a race for him.

4 c Zebedee – Cute

Gary and Linnet Woodward

709108-

RPR 108 OR 103

I imagine he’ll go to Ascot for the Hunt Cup but he just wants a little bit of juice in the ground to be at his best. A mile is his trip but he might get another furlong.

Three Year Olds

3 f Kitten’s Joy – Aqsaam

Hamdan Al Maktoum

RPR 75

She won really nicely on her only start in January and I think she’s a very talented filly. We were even half-thinking about a Guineas trial before Covid-19 came along, but we just had a little issue when she wasn’t right behind so we’ve had to take our time with her. We’ll get her right first and sort out some plans after that.

3 c Dark Angel – Penny Drops

Hamdan Al Maktoum

65-11

RPR 85 OR 84

He’s an improving horse coming up the ladder. He won twice at Lingfield early in the year and has done well since then – he did a nice piece of work a couple of weeks ago. He’s ready to run but we haven’t got an immediate plan with him.

3 c Raven’s Pass – Petit Calva

Julie Martin & David R Martin & Partner

651-

RPR 84 OR 83

He’s a big, strong horse and I hope he has a bright future. We’ll just try to put him in a handicap and work up. He’s a seven-furlong horse.

3 c No Nay Never – My Sweet Georgia

Mrs Susan Roy

2100-34

RPR 89 OR 90

His work at home has been good and we were expecting him to run well in the Pavilion Stakes, which he did, finishing fourth at 25-1. I hope he can build on that.

3 f Outstrip – Celsius Degre

Christopher Wright

118399-

RPR 95 OR 93

She was a Listed winner early last year and I think she’s trained on. She’s put some nice weight on and her work has been good. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a nice race for her and try to gain some more black type. I think six furlongs is her trip now and she doesn’t mind any sort of ground, although quicker ground would suit her.

3 c Acclamation – Effervesce

Mrs Susan Roy

162-

RPR 98 OR 99

We’ve decided to have a crack at the 2,000 Guineas with him. I’ve been pleased with him this year as he’s wintered great, looks fantastic and has worked well. I think he has decent enough form, finishing second to Wichita last year, and he hated that tacky soft ground so I think he’ll be a much-improved horse on quicker ground. He’s a very strong traveller in his races and he should get a mile. We’re looking forward to getting him on the track.

3 c No Nay Never – Online Alexander

Ziad A Galadari

41848-

RPR 103 OR 102

He’s a very talented horse with a great attitude. He seems to be moving well at the moment and his work has been nice. I think we’ll probably end up going straight to Ascot with him for the Commonwealth Cup. He’s a fast-ground horse.

3 c First Defence – Multilingual

K Abdullah

He’d been working very nicely prior to his debut at Newcastle on Thursday and ran well to be beaten just a head. He’s a horse we like.

3 c Dandy Man – Rohlindi

Chelsea Thoroughbreds – Goodfellas

2-1

RPR 85 OR 82

He won nicely on his last run at Newcastle in January over six furlongs and we’re toying with the idea he might get seven. It’s a shame there wasn’t really a race for him this week as he’s ready to run. He has a great action and could have a good handicap in him.

Two Year Olds

“There are some nice horses among the two-year-olds. As a bunch they seem to have behaved great through the winter, they have done everything that has been asked of them and have been enjoying it.

Altaayshah (f Dark Angel – Anna Law) is Battaash’s sister. She’s probably a little bit bigger than Battaash and has grown a lot through the winter. She has a great attitude. We’ll take our time a little bit with her but she looks nice.

There’s a Dark Angel horse called Ibiza Rocks (c Dark Angel – The Thrill Is Gone) of Chris Wright’s who will need a bit of time but is nice.