One of fourteen horses sold at Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale following the death of The Queen, Naval College (GB) improved on his Australian debut second at Randwick on April 25 to open his account in the Precise Air (Bm64) (1800m) at Randwick Kensington on Wednesday.
Ridden by Jett Stanley for Annabel Neasham, Naval College humped topweight of 63kgs to a length and a quarter win over the Tavistock mare Queenmaker, with the Belardo import Master Copy (IRE), one-and-a-half lengths back in third.
Carrying the colours of Highclere Thoroughbreds, the 4yo son of Dubawi’s Group II Hardwicke Stakes winner Dartmouth advances his record to two wins and three seconds from six starts.
“He’s a lovely horse, and I was in two minds whether we should be running him at Scone on Saturday, but it looked a nice option here,” Annabel Neasham said.
“It was a really mature ride by Jett Stanley, our apprentice.
“The Queen bred this horse and raced him. Dartmouth was her homebred stallion.
“Highclere have been really good supporters of mine. They picked this horse up at the sales. I think he looks like a progressive stayer in the making. He is a lightly raced, clean-winded horse with loads of upside.
“There is a 2000m race here at the end of the month if he comes through this well.
“Who knows where he will get to, but he’s pretty smart, I think.”
Naval College (GB) won over 2414m on the all-weather at Lingfield for Sir Michael Stoute before joining the Freemason Lodge draft at the Tatteralls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.
A 185,000 gns purchase for Sackville Donald, Naval College (GB) is out of the stakes-placed Selkirk mare Sequence, a half-sister to the champion Sindaar (Grand Lodge), winner of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
