Quantum Leap Racing: Two-Year-olds to Follow 2021

We believe that horses should be durable and progressive, so racing our horses as juveniles is not a significant consideration for us. We try to buy and breed horses that will improve with age and our trainers handle them considerately. Many of our horses run as two years olds, but this is part of the learning process. Those that are able to achieve forward showings can be expected to do better still the following year. At this stage we hope that they can make their debuts from September onwards, but even minor hiccups can prevent that when one prioritises a long term future. Under normal circumstances we like our horses to have a proper winter break before a three years old campaign, as their workload would increase throughout that season. At this stage therefore it is difficult to give you a two year old to follow, but if you keep your eye out for those below, no doubt a couple will come to the fore. They always have in the past! 

Ham and Jam (Champs Elysees x Artistica) 

The dam is a half sister to Montmartre, who won the Grand Prix de Paris by seven lengths. The cross of Danehill (grandsire) on dam's grandsire (Rainbow Quest) was phenomenally successful, with Derby winner North Light and Frankel's dam among several black type products. He is a May foal and will be a horse for the Autumn. He is in training with Ralph Beckett, who has won with all 7 horses he has trained for Quantum Leap Racing, three of which rated 100+ and three 80+ with the hope they will further improve their ratings this season. 

Speycaster (Highland Reel x Examinee) 

Speycaster is from the first crop of a globetrotter who won Group Ones in England, The United States and Hong Kong during an arduous career. He relished fast ground and was very consistent on that surface. The unraced dam is a full sister to the last German trained Royal Ascot winner. This cross was responsible for Waldgeist: winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Also in training with Ralph Beckett, he has taken enthusiastically to his work and it would not be surprising if he emulated his sire with a midsummer debut. 5% share still available. 

Ribaldry (Ribchester x Greek Goddess) 

Ribaldry is from the first crop of the tough as teak Ribchester. He was very consistent on all ground conditions, having made his debut in early July as a two years old. The dam has bred two winners from three runners including her current two years old filly by Kingman, a winner on her third, most recent start. She also made her debut in July and this filly appears forward enough to emulate her. She is in training with David O'Meara and will be built up gradually with a late 2yo / 3yo campaign in mind. 

The Wellerman (Mastercraftsman x Sworn Sold) 

The Wellerman is by a stallion that polarises opinion, which is strange, given that he has sired fourteen Group One winners. The dam won two listed races in Germany and hails from a family that has been consistently successful there. He is in training with David Simcock who has been very happy with his progress to date. 

The Writer (Ulysses x Arwaah) 

The Writer is from the first crop of his sire, who was a Group One winner at ten furlongs and had the unusual distinction of being by a Derby winner out of an Oaks winner. We are very impressed with his stock and they made up to 320,000 Guineas. He looks uncannily like his sire and has grown appreciably since his sale. He is in training with James Ferguson, who reports him to be strengthening up. He has a good mind and takes everything in his stride, which is half the battle. 5% share available. 

Best of luck with the blog. Kind regards, Niall O'Connor. 

We would like to thank Niall for taking the time to forward these exciting two-year-old horses and wish the team, owners, trainers and jockeys a successful year. 

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Ralph Beckett's 2yo Horses in Training 2021

ALLEMANDE Sea The Moon (GER) / Almiranta (GB) 

Owned and bred by Miss Kirsten Rausing. This daughter of German Derby winner Sea The Moon comes from an excellent family being out of once raced mare Almiranta also owned and bred by Miss Kirsten Rausing. Ralph Beckett has taken a liking to this mare and it’s easy to see why, although Almiranta only raced once for Sir Mark Prescott back in 2010 finishing third the 14-year-old mare has produced some impressive offspring with Ralph Beckett training three already. First is the Sir Percy mare Alyssa who ran twice at two placing both times before coming into her own as a 3-year-old winning four races including rounding off the 2016 season winning the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot. Stepping up in trip worked wonders and in her final season Alyssa won the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster. The lightly raced Aloe Vera was the next who didn’t step foot on the racecourse till three making her debut in May 2019 when going off an 8/1 shot and despite running green won with a bit in hand. The Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes followed at Goodwood with the same result, another easy win. Last season Aloe Vera lost nothing in defeat when soundly beaten by the nice Godolphin gelding Walton Street. Last but not least is another who didn’t make her debut till turning three. Albaflora made her debut last year. The Muhaarar grey filly won easily enough and then ran some solid races the rest of the season including an excellent second in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes at York. I’m pretty sure I will have to wait till the second half of the season or even dare I say next season to see Allemande but hopefully she is worth the wait. 

STREGA de VEGA  Lope de Vega (IRE) / Witches Brew (IRE)

I always keep an eye out for any Waverley Racing owned horses when I scroll through the new recruits at Kimpton Down Stables. In the past Ralph has had a few quality types from the familiar owners including the unnamed filly’s full-sister and two times group winner Antonia De Vega who won the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at two and went on to win the Princess Royal Muhaarar Group 3 Stakes at Newmarket last season. Another is Manuela De Vega, a 100,000gns purchase for the Waverley Racing team. The 5-year-old mare won both her races at two including the Silver Tankard Stakes at Pontefract and last season won the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes and the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock in a tremendous season. Feliciana De Vega another to win her first two starts and won the Group 3 Darley Stakes at three. Really looking forward to this one and hopefully the Apollo Racing & Waverley Racing owned Lope De Vega filly can put her best foot forward this season. 

VEE SIGHT Churchill (IRE) / Look So (GB) 

Really looking forward to seeing the first season sire Churchill this season. The multiple group winner was Champion 2-year-old in Europe after an outstanding 2016 for Aidan O’Brien and stands stud at Coolmore for 30,000 euros. Vee Sight is a homebred out of the Ralph Beckett trained mare Look So who ran to a decent level on the flat . Vee Sight comes from a nice family which included one of my Ralph Beckett 2-year-olds to follow from last year Scope who just got up to win on debut at Newbury last October. Other offspring to note are Regardez, Glance, Compton and Sightline all winning for Beckett and owner Mr J H Richmond-Watson. 

Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Godolphin at the Double (24th July)

The racing is still coming thick and fast and at times it’s all too much as I try to watch every 2-year-old race, add data and look at the fixtures coming up while trying to spend time with the family and go to work but it’s worth it as I remember the dark days when we had none. Anyway enough rambling on, Just a quick update on a few bets this week. 

Darvel was a horse I had marked down in my eye-catcher post, the Kevin Ryan trained Dark Angel colt made a promising debut at Haydock back in June when given a nice introduction without threatening the first three home that day. 

I was hoping to have a nice bet and 9/4 looked alright to me but soon as I went to confirm my bet it changed to 6/4 and within a few short minutes odds on, so I decided against betting. 

See the full result here. 

It was nice to see Darvel win easily at Ayr and confirm that promise even though I missed out. 

Darvel justifies favouritism and gets up to win the Follow Us On Twitter @chbmedical Novice Stakes under @StottKevin for @kevinryanracing 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/X4394BEYIl

— Ayr Racecourse (@ayrracecourse) July 20, 2020

We have to take the good with the bad at times and Perfect Sunrise was another eye-catcher for trainer James Tate, it was a tough race so no bet for me and this time I chose right as she looked awkward and finished down the field. 

I had a winning bet on Shrara who was having her second run for Ralph Beckett and won with a bit in hand at Chepstow, never underestimate how much a horse can improve the second run as Shrara was never involved on her debut at Windsor a few weeks before. 

Liberty Power had a nice entry as a 2-year-old and after disappointing again I’m sure this horse will pop up at a price one day but is becoming expensive for me to follow after backing the Tim Easterby colt the last two times. 

Previews:

I feel like I’m repeating myself as I say this each week but the weekend racing is tough especially the 2-year-olds, so I will be betting low stakes and with caution, I think monitoring and watching the replays for future reference is the best bet but for a bit of interest, I will have a small bet. 

13:40 Newmarket 25 Jul 2020 

A couple of promising types who have already had one run plus some nice looking newcomers here. I will be hoping the Godolphin Frankel colt DHAHABI can stamp his name as a horse for the future here today. Dhahabi comes with a huge price tag but hey the horse doesn't know he was purchased for 3,100,000 gns. A half-brother to the smart 134 rated Golden Horn trained by John Gosden who never finished outside the top two in what was a phenomenal career. 

14:50 Newmarket 25 Jul 2020 

Another one for Godolphin here as DECLARING LOVE will hopefully break her maiden tag after a finishing second on her reappearance here two weeks ago. Considering the Dubawi filly had been off the course 400 plus days I was impressed how well she ran against what looked another nice filly for the boys in blue in the name of Stunning Beauty who looks a nice prospect for the year ahead. 

Eye-catcher: 

5:35 York, 25th July - Nurse Dee  

Thanks for reading and stay safe

Ralph Beckett's 2yo Horses in Training 2020

Ralph Beckett started his career within the horse racing industry as a stable lad in 1989. Thereafter he worked in Australia and America. 

Formerly an assistant trainer to Peter Walwyn in 1996, he took over the running of Windsor House Stables in Lambourne 2000. 

Beckett has been based at Kimpton Down since 2010 after moving from Whitsbury. 

Talent (20/1) was the first classic winner trained at these impressive stables by Ralph Beckett when the consistent filly won the Group 1 Epsom Oaks in dazzling fashion in 2013. In fact, he had the first two in the race. (Secret Gesture 3/1).

Simple Verse was another great filly for the Beckett team with a string of group wins to her name the highlight being the Doncaster St Leger back in 2015. Simple Verse was supplemented for the race after an impressive display in the Lillie Langtry at Goodwood. The St Leger was a race full of drama when Simple Verse was first past the post only to be demoted and then successfully appealing against the decision in what was a deserved result. 

Taking a quick look back over the last few seasons Ralph Beckett has had some decent looking 2-year-olds. Di Fede went on to win twice as a 2-year-old for owner Robert Ng and picked up a Listed race at three. 2018 saw four Lope De Vega fillies hit the race track for Ralph Beckett and owners Waverley Racing. Antonia, Dancing, Feliciana and Manuela De Vega all won first timeout in an amazing feat and all went on to compete in pattern races.

An owner that I will be keeping an eye out for this year is J.H. RICHMOND-WATSON who normally has some nice 2-year-olds with Ralph Beckett. Glance was well-beaten on debut at Newmarket but looked a different horse next timeout at Goodwood when sticking on gamely to win by a head. The Dansili filly has been a consistent performer since and got a well-deserved win in the Listed Prix Petite Etoile in November last season.

Kinross looks another nice type for Beckett and Watson after two decent runs last season. The homebred Kingman/Ceilidh House colt won in impressive fashion last October when winning on debut at Newmarket at odds of 3/1. After such a spectacular debut the Kingman colt was made favourite for the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Newcastle in a messy affair and could only manage fifth. I'm sure we haven't seen the best of Kinross and a mile looks the right step next timeout and the 2000 Guineas looks an option for the season ahead. 

Trefoil was another for the pair as the Teofilo homebred filly was supported from 14s to 8/1 on debut in a Class 2 at Newmarket. The well-bred filly was a touch green but still kept on to win nicely on her only run last season, another who could be winning again in the future. 

Onto the new season and the 2-year-olds J.H. Richmond-Watson will hopefully win a race or two. CHERCHEZ is another homebred who looks to have a decent pedigree who is by Nathaniel and out of Regardez. Dam Regardez had a decent career ending up 106 rated when she retired in America in 2015. Cherchez is a half-sister to the Ralph Beckett trained Impatient who finally got a win on the board in a Nursery Handicap on his final race last season. 

HERE AGAIN who is by Pivitol and out of Look Here and is a nice looking chestnut filly. A couple of interesting offsprings of Dam Look Here are Here and Now who ended his career with an official rating of 100 after a consistent career and last season we saw Here Again’s full sister Hereby (pictured) rattle up five wins out of seven races and another who will be hoping to add to that tally next season. 

Last but not least is SCOPE who is by Teofilo and out of Look so and another who will hopefully get a couple of wins this season. 

Take a look at Ralph Beckett's Latest News

 Thanks for reading.

Guest Post: Beckett 2YO Debut Winners

With the recent wet weather, Turf racing is about as patchy as the final furlong of Leicester racecourse. However, thankfully, we have the all-weather to keep our spirits high. A sharp frost clears the sky to a sunny day. 

I'm hoping horse trainer Ralph Beckett will give some cause to cheer. 

Over the years, I have researched this trainer to an in-depth level. It's surprising what you can learn from studying horse trainers big and small. 

Taking a look at the 4:55 Kempton - 

This race details a number of potentially fair juveniles. I would suggest letting the betting settle because it could well help pinpoint the major contenders. 

Ralph Beckett fields Crispina a daughter of Kingman in the ownership of Khalid Abdullah. It's interesting to note there has been money for this May foal, which is a very good sign for this stable. This year we have seen a couple of two-year-olds which have been very well supported on debut and they have both won and horses with a touch of class. 

Wyclif was seriously backed on debut when hammering the opposition by over three-lengths and most recently runner-up at Listed class.

Heart Reef took her time to get motoring on debut at Haydock but won going away in the final furlong to win by more than a length.   

Kinross (pictured) was the perfect example of a Beckett debut winner when flying eight-lengths clear of the runner-up at Newmarket earlier this month. 

Another debutant who went close when fancied on debut was Annie De Vega who ran on with purpose when finishing third on debut when behind King Carney who has proven himself to be a smart performer winning at Listed class (beating Wyclif in the process). 

Crispina is worth noting in the betting and if starting favourite is likely to go well on her debut over this 7f trip. 

Guest post: Jason Coote runs a number of successful websites including Group Horse which details the best two-year-old horses in training. 

Update: Crispina was much too keen and ruined its chance. Keep an eye on this horse next start.