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WAVERTREE WARRIOR
(2002 br. g. by Indian Lodge ex Karamana)
Wavertree Warrior is the Club’s most successful horse to date, earning almost £60,000 in prize-money from his 32 runs (as of 1st January 2007), with a win to run percentage of over 15% and an even more impressive win and place ratio of 50%. He has repaid his owners and fans with a return to a £1 level stake of £10, as well as with a huge amount of fun and excitement.
Described by his trainer, Nick Littmoden as “tough and consistent, a really straightforward character who is a delight to train,” Wavertree Warrior has proved he can act on a variety of tracks, going and surfaces and is seen at his best over 7f or 1m. Warrior is an agile, good-looking horse who really enjoys his racing.
Wavertree Warrior is a half brother to the tough and consistent sprinter Proud Native (winner of 18 races inc. listed and group class). This also makes him a half brother to Wavertree Dream’s dam, Dream on Deya, also out of Karamana.
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Warrior is from Indian Lodge’s first crop of foals, who between them in 2004 scored in 11 races for prize-money of £76,160, including Golden Surprice, Indian Hope, Little Biscuit, Piddies Price and Rowan Lodge. Wavertree Warrior was purchased at Tattersalls October Yearling Sales in 2003 for 30,000gns, making him by far our most expensive purchase to date.
Wavertree Warrior went into training with Nick Littmoden at Southgate Stables in Newmarket and was entered in the 2005 Epsom Derby and as an Irish bred colt, the Irish Breeders’ foal Levy Stakes for 2yo's run at the Curragh (the Irish equivalent to the Tattersalls £100,000 Auction Stakes).
He made his racing debut at Newbury over 6f and after missing the break finished in 9th place, his second start came a month later at York also over 6 furlongs where he finished third. Warrior subsequently improved on that run with a second place at Yarmouth behind Godolphin’s Desert Commander. This improvement confirmed connections’ views that he should indeed take his place at the Curragh, at the Irish St Leger meeting on September 19th.
Unfortunately there was to be no glory there, as the atrocious weather changed the going to “Yielding” and Warrior became far too distracted by the fillies surrounding him, for the first time in his young life. Disappointingly he finished at the rear of the field though on a positive note being such a valuable race he did manage to earn enough prize-money to pay for his first trip overseas and the much needed gelding operation.
He redeemed himself however at Goodwood on his next outing, finishing in third place on good to soft ground, and his final race of the season was at Doncaster where after his mid-division finish, it was decided to put him to bed for the season and ultimately to geld him, thereby ending the Derby dream. His two year old season ended with a tally of six runs, one second place and two thirds, from 6 to 8 furlongs, on various goings.
His 3yo campaign started in style with a courageous 3rd (behind horses with runs already under their belts) over Epsom’s roller-coaster track where Warrior’s agility was seen to advantage and he followed this up with his first victory at Bath a month later.
This was followed by two very creditable 5ths in much better company and then an amazing win on his AW debut at Lingfield which earned him and his jockey Jimmy Fortune ‘ride of the week’ in the Racing Post. After a run on very firm ground at Folkestone he was given a well deserved short break before resuming full training for a tilt at an Autumn campaign totally refreshed.
His return from holiday saw two excellent runs, back at Epsom and Doncaster, where he came 2nd both times. They were doubly notable as at Epsom he raced over 9f for the first time and at Doncaster, now a stronger and more experienced 3yo, he proved that he could handle very heavy going. His 3yo campaign finished with two unplaced efforts at Lingfield.
2006 also started with Warrior finishing out of the placings over 7f at Wolverhampton, but this was quickly rectified by two 3rds and a 4th place back at his favourite AW track, Lingfield. So Warrior kept his connections warm through the Winter and into the start of the turf flat season.
Nick has always thought that Warrior would be even better as he got older and so it has proved. Warrior raced 16 times during 2006 and notched up 3 wins and 5 places, thereby retaining his 50% strike rate. He has raced - and won - on going from Soft to Firm, over 7f and 1m, on the AW and on turf.
His first win of the year was in April, at Windsor’s quirky figure-of-eight track, partnered by the young and talented jockey James Doyle. James has struck up a real rapport with the horse, his pride in Warrior when he wins is evident and his annoyance with himself when they lose is touching. James has ridden Warrior eight times, more than any other jockey, and won or placed with him in five of those races. Warrior has also won again for Jimmy Fortune, at Sandown on 17th June.
Before this Warrior had been 2nd at Bath and won at Goodwood, followed by an unplaced effort back at Epsom’s 9f. It is now pretty certain that the horse is seen at his best over 7f or 1m. One track he has not yet managed to score at is his home track, Newmarket, where he has twice run unplaced. But Warrior has more than made up for this with his performances at other tracks, adding to his 2006 place tally with storming runs at York ( 2nd place to Godolphin’s Army of Angels) and at Kempton’s new AW track where after sweeping past the field he went down by just a neck to Bomber Command in a ding-dong battle.
One more run, where he came from an impossible position to take 4th at Lingfield, brought his 2006 campaign to a close.
Warrior has proved his trainer right. He has matured into a tough, consistent and brave battler, earned the respect of racing’s pundits and punters alike and brought much joy to his owners, whose adulation he now seems to expect as his by right….as indeed it is! Nick describes his prospects for the coming year as “excellent” and the horse himself as “a fun horse for all year round”.
Contact Anne Dawson on anne@wavertreeracing.com for further details.
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