Jockey Jason Watson on Lost Boys (right) wins the Trade Nation London Gold Cup Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race) at Newbury Racecourse. Picture date: Saturday May 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Steven Paston/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder. Credit: PA
RACING superowner Wathnan have splashed the cash in a £1million-plus spending spree ahead of Royal Ascot.
Jattvibe Racing can reveal they have snapped up talented filly Stateira who will stay with Andrew Balding and be targeted at the Kensington Palace Stakes.
The Emir of Qatar’s growing operation has bought three-year-old colt Sahara King too.
He finished second to Lost Boys in the London Gold Cup – who has also been purchased by Wathnan – at Newbury last month.
Balding said: “Wathnan Racing have purchased Stateira with the Kensington Palace in mind.
“She was a bit unlucky last time in the Group 2 in Ireland.
“She will be carrying top weight in this, but she is a class act and hopefully she will run well.”
Richard Brown, Wathnan’s racing manager, said: “Stateira took her form to a new level in a Group 2 in Ireland on her latest start, and she looks particularly progressive, especially on turf.
“Andrew Balding spoke highly of her, and she’s got just the sort of profile we like.
“She’s by Persian King, whose stock benefit from a bit of time, and we’ve had a bit of luck with him already. Let’s hope it continues.”
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Stateira has won four of her ten career races under Rules and started out in a Southwell Class 5 in February last year.
Her progress has been consistently upward since then and she went down by just a length-and-a-half when finishing third to Paddy Twomey’s 2-1 joint-fav City Of Memphis in the Curragh’s Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes last month.
Sent off 22-1 under Oisin Murphy she was hampered in the closing stages but finished like a bullet and is thought to have been bought for around £600,000.
The London Gold Cup always throws up a whole load of future winners.
And Wathnan have moved to corner the market by buying the top two from the Class 2 handicap over 1m2f.
Lost Boys was previously owned by Jayar Investments while Sahara King was with the Exors of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.
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