Tattersalls Somerville Graduate Enchanting Empress Royal Ascot Bound for Amo Racing

Amo Racing & Giselle De Aguiar’s unbeaten Listed National Stakes winner ENCHANTING EMPRESS is bound for Royal Ascot with a number of races being weighed up for the exciting two-year-old, who was purchased at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale for 62,000 guineas from Llety Farms.  

The daughter of SERGEI PROKOFIEV is trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis at Amo Racing’s Felstead Court Stables in Lambourn, and Amo Racing’s Operations Manager Amy Drummond reflected on team Amo’s initial impressions of the filly:  

“From the day we bought her at the Somerville Yearling Sale, the guys have always loved her. Robson [Aguiar] picked her out, Kia [Joorabchian] fell in love with her, and Rodrigo [Gonçalves] bought her in the ring for us. It was very much a team effort.  

“She went straight over to Mullingar into pre-training with Robson. He really sets a solid foundation for all of our two-year-olds, they come here with a really good education and it’s great for the guys - they know how he works, they know where the filly’s at and we can then place them where we think would be most suitable.  

“It’s been brilliant for Enchanting Empress, she’s a great example of how her education has then gone into training and racing. Dominic and the guys here have loved her from day one, Paiva rides her every day so has really got a good bond with her.”  

Assistant trainer Raphael Freire expanded on ENCHANTING EMPRESS’ relaxed demeanour, explaining: “She has always been a happy filly. She is easy to train, uncomplicated and makes our lives very easy. We always liked her since the day she came - and then we liked her even more when we started galloping her!  

“She is a very curious filly, she always likes to be involved and where there’s people, she wants to be there. We like to be a little bit different with her, she goes out on her own, she has the same rider every day and then she loves it. Eats well, trains well, sleeps well – what more can you ask for?  

“Every race she has taken on, she has come out of it better than she went in. She’s still improving and I’m hopeful that we haven’t seen her best days yet.”  

The addition of Felstead Court Stables into the Amo Racing system has added an extra dimension to the burgeoning racing powerhouse’s operations, with Drummond explaining:  

“Having our base here at Felstead Court with Dominic Ffrench Davis is brilliant to centralise everything, and the guys work really well together. We have a location to bring the horses that might need a little TLC and a little bit more time, so it’s great to have our own spot.”  

ENCHANTING EMPRESS is unbeaten in three starts for Amo Racing, winning on debut at Wolverhampton before her victory in the Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial EBF Conditions Stakes at Ascot against a promising field of colts. She showed both speed and tenacity to overcome a slow start in the Listed National Stakes at Sandown, which has been won in recent years by the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes third and Commonwealth Cup fancy ELITE STATUS and Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner EBRO RIVER, both also Tattersalls yearling purchases.  

Freire added: “She has kept on improving, and every race she has taken on she has come out of it better than when she went in. I am hopeful that we haven’t seen her best day yet.”  

On her Royal Ascot target, Drummond commented: “Enchanting Empress has a few options for Ascot. She is a very versatile filly, she definitely stays the six furlongs but she is quick enough for five furlongs too. She will have a few entries including the Queen Mary, the Albany, the Norfolk and the Windsor Castle I believe.”  

Amo Racing have assembled a smart team for the third week in June, and Drummond expanded on the significance of the Royal meeting for Amo Racing and its principal Kia Joorabchian saying:  

“Ascot is a huge part of the year for Amo Racing. It’s Kia’s favourite track, it is super exciting and the whole team will be there. Last year with Valiant Force being Amo’s first Royal Ascot winner, and then King Of Steel winning and going on to take the Champion Stakes - it has become a very sentimental track. We really hope Enchanting Empress will rise to the occasion and put in a great run.”  

Tattersalls has been a fruitful hunting ground for Amo Racing when buying horses and also increasingly as a vendor, with Drummond adding: “One of our most recent graduates is Olivia Maralda, we sold her really well for 725,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. We bought her at the Craven Breeze Up and she has gone to America, where she recently came second at Santa Anita in the [Grade 1] Gamely Stakes for Will Walden and Woodford Thoroughbreds. We are delighted to see that she has gone on and run well for the new connections.”  

The next sale to take place at Tattersalls will be the Tattersalls July Sale from 9th - 11th July. Over 900 lots are catalogued for Europe’s premier midsummer sale including horses/fillies in training and broodmares, with consignments from Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms & Shadwell Estates. The catalogue is online now at www.tattersalls.com and will be available at Tattersalls and from Tattersalls representatives.