November 1, 2018 - NEWCASTLE, Race 2, Alw, GBP £8,550, 8.0F, .0000
Headman (GB), c, 2, 2016 by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Deliberate (GB), by King's Best
2nd Dam: Dance Routine (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
Owner: Khalid Abdullah
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms (east) Ltd (GB)
Trainer: Roger Charlton
Confidently backed into 8-13 favouritism for his debut in Thursday’s mile novice contest at Newcastle, Khalid Abdullah’s Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was waited with last of the quintet early as Kieran Shoemark had the anchor down. Cruising into contention with mininal effort approaching the final quarter mile, the homebred was shaken up to take command from the long-time leader Repaupo (Quality Road) a furlong later. Drawing away impressively, the March-foaled bay was eased down late to register an emphatic 3 3/4-length success. Mutasaamy (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), the son of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain), was 12-1 at the off and showed little on his racecourse bow in fourth. The winner is a half-brother to the GII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup winner Projected (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), GSW-US & MSP-Fr, $582,001, and to the G3 Prix Chloe runner-up Delivery (GB) (Rail Link {GB}). The dam, who was a winner over 10 furlongs for Andre Fabre, is a daughter of Dance Routine (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) who captured the G2 Prix de Royallieu and was second in the G1 Prix de Diane before producing the stable’s stalwart Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Successful in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and twice runner-up in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he went on to take the G1 Hong Kong Vase and achieve champion grass horse status as the hero of the GI Sword Dancer S. twice and the GI Manhattan S. Dance Routine’s full-sister Concentric (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) was responsible for another of the operation’s finest standard-bearers in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who also won by the same margin over the same trip at the same track in the same month as Headman when a juvenile. Now a dual Arc heroine, she also captured the G1 English and Irish Oaks, G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. and G1 Yorkshire Oaks en route. Deliberate’s yearling colt is by Oasis Dream (GB).