A HEARTBREAKING Royal Ascot runner-up has been removed from his old yard following a private sale and sent to a new trainer.
Wimbledon Hawkeye was joined by Wathnan’s Map Of Stars in the final furlong of the Wolferton and went down just half-a-length in last month’s Listed contest over 1m2f.
Wimbledon Hawkeye is the subject of a stunning mid-season stable switch after being bought following his huge Royal Ascot run for previous trainer James Owen Credit: Getty
Coronation Cup-winning handler George Scott is the new trainer of Wimbledon Hawkeye Credit: Alamy
Poor trainer James Owen was left gutted after seeing the £71,000 first-place prize slip from his grasp.
Still, that was peanuts compared to the £888,000 Owen and previous owners the Gredley Family landed when Wimbledon Hawkeye – a former Group 2 Royal Lodge winner – won the Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs last August.
The four-year-old colt flopped when next seen in the but was a promising fifth behind world’s best horse Ombudsman on seasonal return at Sandown in May.
That came before his heroics, which caught the eye of big-spending Bahraini outfit Victorious Forever.
They swooped for Wimbledon Hawkeye on the back of his Ascot runner-up, took him from Owen’s yard and sent him to Newmarket neighbour George Scott instead.
The owners won the Coronation Cup with the Scott-trained Bay City Roller on Derby day, landing the £560,000 first-place prize for ten lengths.
Keen to give Scott more ammo, Victorious wasted no time sending Wimbledon Hawkeye to their trainer with the aim of a globe-trotting campaign in the future.
Scott said: “We’re pleased to have him and he’s proven himself at a high level all the way through his career.
“He’s a horse we identified that would suit some international plans later down the line and the previous connections did a brilliant job with him.
“Hopefully we can keep him on the same trajectory.
“He’s a horse who looks like he will fit perfectly in our system and it would probably make sense to aim him towards the Bahrain International Trophy later in the year.
“We’ll run him once here in England just to get to know him and it won’t be the be all and end all, and then he could go back to Kentucky Downs where he won last year for a race at the same meeting (Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational).
“Other options are races like the Canadian International or even a Group 1 in Germany, but fundamentally he will be aimed at the Bahrain International.
“I think it’s important to be represented all year round.
“That’s the ambition of Shaikh Nasser (bin Hamed Al Khalifa) and it also aligns well with the aims of our stable.
“We’re very lucky to be able to train horses like this and I’m very grateful to Victorious Forever for identifying the horse, buying him and then letting me train him.”
Wimbledon Hawkeye’s move comes after two more top Flat performers switched trainers.
following his purchase by a legendary owner.
While Aidan’s daughter Ana reportedly for her Coral-Eclipse runner-up A Boy Named Susie – trained by her brother Donnache.
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