Richard Hannon: Rosallion update and my Glorious Goodwood team

Richard Hannon is confident stable star

Rosallion

can provide him with a first success in the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes at next’s Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Speaking at a press morning organised by Goodwood Racecourse on Tuesday, Hannon looked ahead to the three-year-olds run in the feature race of the meeting as he chases a fourth top-level win.

Successful in the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as a juvenile, the son of Blue Point has enjoyed a brace of top-level successes this term in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.

His only reversal this season came when runner-up in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket to Notable Speech who looks set to spearhead the challengers next week, along with St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up Henry Longfellow.

Hannon has been effusive in his praise of Rosallion, suggesting he is the best horse he has ever trained and he seemed in buoyant mood when talking to the assembled media at his Wiltshire base.

“Rosallion has progressed through the year”, said the Classic-winning trainer. “He probably did need match fitness and the only way you get that is with matches and that is probably what happened at Newmarket [finished second].

“He progressed to the Irish 2,000 Guineas and probably his best performance to date was at Royal Ascot.

“Physically he has continued to do well. Someone asked me earlier if I think he has peaked, but I think he is peaking. He is getting better as the year goes on.

“We’re looking forward to the Sussex Stakes. The track is a bit of an unknown, but technically he is taking on horses he has beaten before so we’re hopeful he can go there and run his race.

“He is a very good moving horse, he is very athletic. As long as he settles, he has been settling a lot better in his races recently.

“The way he cuts them down late, we have been sailing close to the wind. He did well to get out at Royal Ascot. He was travelling great that day and picked up on a horse [Henry Longfellow] who got first run.

“We’ll want to ride him a little closer, but that’s up to Sean [Levey, jockey]. We’ve done our job when he gets there fit and well and he’ll do his.

“I always thought it would suit him round a bend and it did at Ascot. Coming off a bend at Goodwood I think will suit him too.

“It’s a big buzz for everybody in the yard to have a horse like Rosallion. When you haven’t had a horse like him for a few years, you don’t want to let that moment pass us by. It’s nice to be part of a big meetings and big races.

“A lot of people I don’t know come up to me and ask ‘How's Rosallion?’. It says a lot about racing and that the wider public are taking an interest in the sport.

“He has always been a little bit different and you’re drawn to those every morning. He is flashy at home, but never ridiculous. He’s always moved very well and he’s never caused us a moment’s worry to be honest.

“I don’t there is much rain due, but I think he showed at Goodwood that he didn’t like soft ground as he was wheel-spinning that day.”

Hannon also revealed that Rosallion could stay in training as a four-year-old after discussions with owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

Asked about a four-year-old campaign, Hannon continued: “That is a decision for Sheikh Obaid. I very much hope he does.

“Horses like him are hopefully not once in a lifetime, but they are pretty special for everybody. You’d have an awful lot to look forward to next year.

“People get attached to horses and it does bring people to the races to see him. The way he has won his races, people find exciting.

“You see him physically and he is getting bigger and stronger as the races go by. I’d like to think he would continue to improve next year.”

With

Haatem

set to miss Glorious Goodwood, Hannon also discussed some other possible runners at next week’s meeting.

“We’ll have about 20 runners at Glorious Goodwood. I’ll be happy with one winner.

Xanthe

is a nice filly who will run in the Alice Keppel, she was fifth in the Queen Mary.

“

Classic

could run in the Golden Mile. I’ve got two nice horses for Al Shaqab Racing who will go for the maidens.

“In the Molecomb, we’ll have Hawaiian and

The Actor

.

“Great Bedwyn has a super chance in whatever race we choose to run him in. He has two options. He was raised 4lb today, but he’s just been gelded and is a horse who could have a nice back-end of the season.

“We have a lot of nice horses for the end of the year, horses who will need a mile or further next year so you won’t see too much of them this year.”

The Richard Hannon-trained Haatem is likely to skip the Qatar Goodwood Festival for a tilt at the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville later this summer. 

The three-year-old has been a model of consistency during his career and in-between placed efforts in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas added a Jersey Stakes win at Royal Ascot to a Craven Stakes victory on his seasonal reappearance.  

Entered in both the Qatar Sussex Stakes and the World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood next week, Hannon is set to wait until August 14th and a trip to Deauville with the three-time Group scorer. 

Discussing the son of Phoenix Of Spain, Hannon said: “Haatem is a gentleman. It’s a pleasure to have him and hopefully a Group One will come his way soon. Hopefully it’s the Prix Jacques Le Marois, but there are a lovely lot of races in him this year and next. 

“He’s a very well bought horse. Horses like him are so hard to replace. You can go to a big race anywhere in the world and he is going to run a super race. 

“He’s ultra-reliable, sound and super talented. In terms of his owners Wathnan Racing, he is a flagship horse for them and they are hard to find and hard to buy. 

“I would never thought he would win the Craven like he did and it’s been a matter of further the he’s gone, the better he has become. 

“A mile and a quarter might happen. He’s in a few races already at that trip, but he’s been a really pleasant surprise with his toughness, his soundness and ability-wise. 

“I know he won a Group Two at Goodwood last year, but I never felt he got the credit he deserved. After that he was running to a level of 100 consistently and now he is running to a level of 116 [official rating] on a monthly basis now.  

“A lot of people have got a lot of love for him. Some of these horses thrive on racing and he is one of them. 

“There are loads of options for Haatem – Australia, America, Hong Kong.”