Shouldvebeenaring Secures Maiden Group Victory in Prix de Ris-Orangis
(July 8, 2024 – Deauville, France) Shouldvebeenaring, the Havana Grey colt owned by Middleham Park Racing, has added another impressive achievement to his racing résumé. On Sunday, the four-year-old secured a hard-fought victory in the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis at Deauville, France.
The colt, trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by Sean Levey, has been knocking on the door of Group 1 success, with narrow defeats in prestigious races such as the Sandy Lane, Sprint Cup, Prix de la Foret, and the Duke of York Stakes. His last win came in the Listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket in early May 2023, but the wait for a sixth career victory finally came to an end at Deauville.
Shouldvebeenaring was one of five British-trained horses competing in the Prix de Ris-Orangis and prevailed by a short neck over James Tate’s Electric Storm.
“We were relieved to get that first Group win because he’s been knocking on the door in Group Ones and Group Twos,” said Tim Palin of Middleham Park. “It’s great to set that record straight and get a first Group win under his belt.”
The victory sets the stage for the colt’s next target, the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, before a tilt at the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September.
“He does seem to like Deauville, he’s been there twice now and he was fifth in the Prix Jean Prat,” added Palin. “We’ve described him as having two Derbys this season – the Prix Maurice de Gheest and then off to Haydock for the Sprint Cup.”
Shouldvebeenaring’s racing career is set to conclude at the end of the season, with the Irish National Stud adding him to their roster of stallions.
“He will retire to the Irish National Stud at the end of the season, we’re looking forward to that chapter in his career already,” said Palin. “But there’s a little bit of unfinished business for us to be focusing on between now and then!”
🔗 Source