ARO New Season Preview - Part One James Owen

from The Arabian Racehorse - Spring 2020

Gulf Review 2019- 2020

ARO New Season Preview - Part One James Owen, Newmarket

2019 was a landmark year for three-time ARO champion trainer James Owen, starting with his first overseas winner in April, his first Dubai International Arabian Races winner in July and his first Group winner in August.

Royal Cavalry of Oman Clarendon International Stakes (Gr3PA) winner Awzaan (FR) and James Owen at Green Ridge Stables

Add to that the success of Tijaary completing the season as ARO Leading Arabian for his James Owen Racing Club and concluding with the Arabian Award at the December Horserace Writers and Photographers Annual Luncheon, he will have to raise the bar again to top those achievements in 2020.

Smiling Owen recalls: “It was a really good year last year, and we’ve got some promising sorts for this season too. We enjoyed going abroad, they were very good to us and it was great to have a DIAR winner, it’s taken a while, but we’ve had chances every time we’ve gone there. Of course Awzaan’s Group win was special, he’s probably been my best horse throughout my career so far.”

Describing the HWPA awards he says: “It was a huge honour to be recognised, and it’s great that there is an award for Arabian racing at that event. To be acknowledged against the leading thoroughbred trainers, owners and jockeys and media can only be good for Arabian racing in the UK.”

This week Owen starts his 2020 campaign by going back to Mons, in Belgium, the scene of that all-important first overseas win. He takes two for his main patron, HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Farhaa and Al Azeeza, both significant players in his 2019 season.

“Farhaa was our first winner abroad and Al Azeeza won at DIAR. I learnt a lot, we were unlucky not to have two DIAR winners last year as one was just slow out of the gates. Also I probably should have run Farhaa in the longer race (1m4f), rather than the mile, but it was lovely to have runners and a winner there.

“Going abroad just gives us a few more options, particularly this year with the UK season being delayed. Mons is a nice All Weather track, and we’ve also been to Waregem which is Turf. We probably took the wrong horses there, buy you learn from

the experience and we will definitely go back to Waregem, you need a sharp horse for that track. We also went to Duindigt, in Holland, we had a few wins there with Jadaayil and Jaahez. They are all very easy to get to, it doesn’t take long. We will leave Friday morning for Mons and be there in good time, the meeting doesn’t start until 6pm.”

"Another goal for the future is to race in France. We’ve shown that we can be competitive in the smaller European countries, but I’d love to be able to go to France with horses that were in with a chance of winning, but it’s a much higher level there."

Al Azeeza and Jaahez were two horses that had started their careers in France for Francois Rohaut and came to the UK in the Spring of 2019 having already had a run.

Farhaa (GB) (Al Saoudi x Maiziane) and Frankie Flinton on Racecourse Side of the Newmarket Gallops. Farhaa will run in the Emirates Breeders Programme 1 race at Mons in Belgium on Friday June 26th

Al Azeeza (FR) leads home Naishaan (FR) and Farhaa (GB) for a one-two-three for Owen and HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum in the Emirates Premier Handicap at DIAR 2019

“Al Azeeza, they thought quite a lot of in France, but she lost her way a bit. She was always going to win a maiden in the UK on the back of her French form. She won over 7f at Lingfield in May and Dane O’Neill who rode that day really liked her. We ran her again at Newbury in the Za’abeel prep and she didn’t like the soft ground, but at DIAR it was so much quicker and she became our first winner at the meeting.

“She’s by Munjiz and has a bit of speed, so we then went to Holland for a 2000m Group 3 at Duindigt. She got all the allowances and that track is usually very quick, but got there and the heavens opened. Though she wasn’t beaten far in fifth, the ground was so loose and she hated it - even when we work her at home on soft she’s the same.

The plan for 2020 was to take her to Ascot for the new Shadwell race there over a mile in May, so she was ready quite early. 2000m should suit her well this year, providing she gets her ground.

“As for Jaahez, he’s a character. Francois said he was a bit of a monkey and he is. We ran him first at Chepstow at the beginning of May and he didn’t like the hustle and bustle, he was then placed twice and we gave him a bit of a break and he came back a different horse, winning at Wolverhampton. We ran him six days later in Holland and he went round the houses on a tight track and dead-heated f or the ladies race. He’s now won both times for female jockeys, he can do anything, so long as he allowed to think it’s on his terms. I thought the 1m4f race at DIAR would have been perfect for him this year, but that’s obviously changed now. We’ve stepped up his work and we’ll take him abroad now.”

Al Kaaser (FR) with Danielle Giles

Mawarid (GB)

Owen's third lot led by Al Kaaser (FR)

The next overseas trip on the agenda is also in Belgium, this time to Waregem on the 6 th July for the Wathba Stallions Cup over a mile. Owen has Al Azeeza, Alameen, Emiraaty and Mayzoonah entered and feels the older horses have come to hand very quickly since they brought them back into work. As for his aspirations to race in France, it is the younger horses that will have to step up to be considered for that role, as he explains:

“We’ve got a couple of the three-year-olds who have already had a racecourse gallop. We took six of our horses to Lingfield for the barrier trials organised by Gary Witheford, all professionally ridden, as I wanted to be ready for those early season races and we were, but obviously racing was suspended.

“All the horses had a break at the start of the Covid19 situation and they’ve mostly all come on for that now. We’ll give the youngsters another racecourse gallop at the end of July and if anything shows up well - they have to look like they c an be competitive - then we would take them to France, but I don’t want to go abroad for the sake of it.

“We have a nice filly by No Risk Al Maury, Wanassa, who is a half-sister to Al Azeeza, she did well at the barrier trial in March, she’s a very similar type, probably a bit stronger and has the same sort of action. She’d be one to consider if she keeps progressing well.”

A delayed start has not all been bad for the team however as he says: “We’ve some young horses that in a normal season would p robably have just had one run, but as we are pushed back into the autumn, we should be able to get two runs in to them, hopefully one on grass and then the All Weather before we put them away for next year. They’ve changed no end for the break, once they’re up to speed, some come forward, though a few it sends them back, it’s certainly been useful for us to learn more about them this way.”

Owen is still positive for another good season for his Racing Club which had over 30 members in 2019, drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, including some new to Arabian racing as well as long established followers. Of their flagship horse he says: “Tijaary could do one more season after this, but we do have to keep adding a new horse each year to keep them interested and also to allow our homebreds in. It’s important that the Club is refreshed each year with one or two horses, though the plan is to stick to three, because when horses at this level reach the ceiling of their handicap mark it’s hard to find races for them and there’s a limited program in the UK.”

Also remaining in the Club for 2020 is Arwen Forta, who he feels has taken a long time to come to hand, but says: “she’ll be versatile and I think we can win races with her.” They are joined by a new recruit, Sattam, who was a speculative purchase at the 2019 Arqana PA Sale last October. Previously in training w ith Thomas Fourcy, he wasn’t forward enough to race and be competitive in

France, but Owen is confident that he can be useful at a lower level in the UK and give the Club a couple of years of entertainment.

Waiting in the wings are two fillies out of one of their original Club horses Dolfina D’Ibos. Like Tijaary, she was also an ARO Champion horse, and Champion Mare too, but it had always been the intention to breed from her. The first foal has been named Mayfair and is by Al Tair, as Owen explains:

“Like a lot of first foals, she’s not very big, but she’s done well and I like her; last year we had another filly by RB Burn, who we’ve called Picadilly. Because we liked what she’s produced, we felt confident to spend a bit more this year, so she was inseminated two weeks ago by Al Mourtajez. Arabian stallions are not expensive, and we want to do it right.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what these fillies will be like on the track. Dolfina was a Racing Club horse, so we will r un them in the club colours.”

Club horses' Sattam (FR) and Arwen Forta (AE)

Rafeef (FR)

Owen supervising his string

Awzaan (FR) and Martin Dwyer

Of all the horses Owen has handled Awzaan has probably one of the most challenging and yet the most rewarding too, giving him that much wanted first pattern win. At nine he’s the oldest horse in the yard, who he inherited after Gill Duffield retired and though Owen refers to him as “delicate’” he says: “He’s, not unsound, but he’s just taken a long time to mature. He’s stronger now than ever, so I can’t wait to get racing with him. He takes his races very well, but I’ve found it hard keeping c ondition on him, we’ve tried many things to help over the years and I think we have it right now. “He won over 10 furlongs at Chelmsford on his debut for us and then the DIAR Stayer’s prep in a slowly run race at Chepstow. So he went to DIAR as a short priced favourite and I was so shocked when he got beat, but he obviously doesn’t stay in a true run race on a galloping track. He later ran very well in a Group 1PA finishing third, but that ruined his handicap mark, he became very difficult to place. “Entering him in the Clarendon Stakes wasn’t the last straw, because if I worked him with anything in my yard over 5 furlongs he’d beat them, even though he is slow out of the gates. I have always wanted to put headgear on him, but he was never mentally mature enough to wear it. I only walked him in hand in a visor at home before the race, as I wasn’t confident to exercise him in them. Sometimes visors will just concentrate them and keep them calm, which they seemed to do for him. W ith Martin [Dwyer] he was slowly away as usual, but within half a furlong he was back on the bridle and you could call him the

winner a long way out. He travelled so well. “He’s got to back it up now, but I’m sure he will, he’s so much stronger. I think a mile does suit him too, but it depends on the course and the opposition, we will have to see what there is for him, he likes a bit of cut in the ground, so an autumn campaign will be fine for him anyway. I’m very happy with him.”

Considering the effect of Covid19 Owen thinks they are lucky to be based in Newmarket saying: “We’re out in the country, the facilities here on the Heath are fantastic. The staff have been great, a couple of our Arabian owners took horses home, but we expect them back as soon as the new programme is in place for the domestic races.

“Currently we have 28 Arabians in at the moment, of which 23 are for His Highness. The Racing Club horses are all in work and we had a zoom meeting the other evening for them and that went quite well. They’ve been very loyal and we’re looking forward to setting a date for our virtual open day next month.”

He was delighted to learn that the UK season will finally get underway at Goodwood saying: “We send a huge thank you to Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club for staging the race under what we know are difficult circumstances. The race is always very competitive, and I look forward to supporting it with my best Arabians.”