The finish of the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes (7f) at Newbury in England last Saturday night delighted everyone at Sledmere Stud and gave all the team plenty to look forward to later in the year.
The prestigious contest witnessed Witch Hunter and New Endeavour pull away from their rivals to fight out an entertaining finish — relegating 2/1 favourite and proven Group 1 performer Chindit to a well beaten third.
Sledmere Stud were the co-breeders of runner-up New Endeavour along with Ireland’s Oghill House and breeder David Hyland, and the 3-year-old’s second consecutive placing in black-type company was a big thrill, and especially so as the performance enhanced the likelihood of the son of New Bay campaigning in Australia this spring.
In association with UK-based bloodstock agent John McKeever, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott went to £260,000 to secure New Endeavour at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot in mid-June with a view to targeting the $10 million Golden Eagle in November and potentially the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap during the autumn
Gai’s husband Robbie is also of the opinion that New Endeavour could ultimately prove to be effective over 2000m, which seems highly likely as a son of a celebrated French Derby winner, as well as a member of the female family of the exceptional international stayer Pilsudski (Japan Cup-G1, etc).
New Endeavour was originally sold on our behalf by Yeomanstown Stud for 200,000 euros at the 2021 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale and then placed into training with Roger Varian at Newmarket by Teme Valley & Ballylinch Stud. It was in Teme Valley’s familiar livery in which the gelding raced on Saturday night.
New Endeavour’s Group 2 Hungerford Stakes took his race record to read two wins, three seconds and two thirds from just 10 starts, his latest brace of performances both coming in notable black-type company.
Moody Blue, the dam of New Endeavour, is now in foal to Starspangledbanner in Ireland. As for an update on New Endeavour’s immediate programme, an announcement should come out of Tulloch Lodge in the coming days or weeks.