Bassett Hound (Wootton Bassett) is bred to win a classic but is just as adept as a sprinter winning his first two outings this prep over 1100m at Ascot and 1000m at Belmont.
The Amelia Park homebred settled at the back of the field behind Define Beautiful (Ducimus) in the Janet Amaglio Memorial (1000m) on Saturday before bullocking through a gap to defeat Let’s Talk (I’m All The Talk) and Overdrive (Playing God).
Bassett Hound will have one more run this prep before trainer Mitch Pateman brings him back next season for a similar campaign that proved so profitable for Jokers Grin. “I was reaching for the rosary beads when Pat (Carberry) angled back for that split in the straight,” Pateman admitted. “He has a lot to learn but there’s plenty of raw ability under the hood.
“I’m not saying he’s in the same league as Jokers Grin but Bernie (Miller) gave him three runs as a winter 3yo and then brought him back for a summer prep to take him through the grades. We will see where he ends up but I think he will eventually get out to a mile.”
Carberry reported he was forced to muscle between the leaders at the furlong instead of reversing back around Overdrive (Playing God). “That could have thrown him off balance and he was up against horses that have been around the block a few times. He was fresh today after missing a bit of work and then floated once we got to the front. He had a good blow coming back to scale and will learn a lot out of that race.”
Bassett Hound is a son of former Coolmore Stud shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) who sired classic winners Providence (Queensland Derby) on Saturday and Constitution River (French Derby) on Sunday. He also has the Aidan O’Brien-trained Coolmore stablemates Hawk Mountain, Endorsement, Causeway and Amadeus Mozart nominated for the English Derby this Saturday, June 6.
Amelia Park purchased his USA-bred dam Bound Copy (Street Cry) through Astute Bloodstock’s Louis Le Metayer for 45,000gns (AUD 89,000) at the 2018 Tattersalls July Sale. Bound Copy has Australian links through her dam In A Bound (Ashkalani) who won a G2 Queen of the Turf Stakes at Rosehill for Gai Waterhouse before being exported in 2007. Her second-dam Bounding Away (Biscay) was Australia’s Champion 2YO in 1986 for owner-breeder Tommy Smith.
