Windsor Castle runner-up Gabaldon is set to target the Breeders’ Cup after Qatar Racing acquired a 50% stake in the promising American sprinter.
Trained by Florida-based Venezuelan Jose Francisco D’Angelo, Gabaldon showcased his talent by winning the prestigious Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his debut race.
This impressive victory earned him a chance to compete in one of the two-year-old races at Royal Ascot, where his team decided to take a chance in Windsor Castle after helping him acclimatise at the National Stud in Newmarket.
In the five-furlong race, Gabaldon, ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, led for most of the distance but was narrowly beaten in the final moments by Kevin Ryan’s Ain’t Nobody, finishing in second place.
The son of Gone Astray, who was purchased as a yearling for just $9,000, has now returned to the United States, where his season will focus on aiming for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar during the year-end championships.
Sheikh Fahad made a deal during the recent Inglis online sale, and David Redvers, racing manager for Qatar Racing, expressed excitement over the acquisition, saying, “He tried to lead at Ascot, and I would say the Breeders’ Cup is the plan now.”
Though D’Angelo has yet to claim victory at the Breeders’ Cup, he has previously trained Jesus’ Team, who finished third in the Preakness and later came in second in the Dirt Mile behind Knicks Go in 2020.