Botti Weighs Options for Promising Duo After Strong Performances
Newmarket-based trainer Marco Botti is mulling over the immediate future for two of his exciting prospects, a four-year-old son of Wootton Bassett and the impressive two-year-old Rocket Boy, following a series of encouraging runs. Both horses have demonstrated significant potential, leaving Botti with a variety of options to consider for their next outings.
The as-yet-unnamed four-year-old has continued to defy expectations, building on a creditable sixth-place finish as an 80-1 outsider in the prestigious July Cup last month. He reinforced that performance by securing the "best of the rest" spot behind Clive Cox’s Coppull in a competitive Group Two over seven furlongs at Newbury.
Despite these strong showings, the Wootton Bassett gelding hasn’t secured a win since his triumph on Shergar Cup day at Ascot last summer. Botti is now considering a strategic move to a Listed race at Newmarket this Saturday, aiming for a confidence-boosting victory.
Reflecting on the Newbury effort, Botti commented, “He ran very well. It’s a shame they sort of split into two groups and it turned out he was on the wrong side of the track.” He acknowledged the quality of the winner, stating, “The winner is a good horse and it probably showed up the form of the July Cup. We were maybe a touch unlucky when we finished behind the winner at Newmarket, but they showed the same form.”
Botti expressed satisfaction with his charge’s performance, adding, “I was pleased with the run and I would say a stiff six furlongs is probably his optimum trip.” He confirmed the horse’s entry in the Listed race at Newmarket on Saturday, noting, “We’ll track the race and see, but we know he likes the July course and likes fast ground. We put him in on Saturday because this year he’s not been lucky at all and he’s come out of Newbury bouncing and looks great. He doesn’t have to travel so we said we’d put him in and decide towards the middle of the week.”
Another promising talent from the Botti stable, Rocket Boy, also performed admirably in defeat recently. He solidified his surprising debut win at Yarmouth with a strong-finishing third in the Listed Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury.
Botti highlighted Rocket Boy’s staying power, saying, “He definitely showed he stayed a mile and the jockey (Marco Ghiani) felt the ground was a bit loose on top as obviously they’d watered well. He felt he changed his lead a few times early on because of that, but I put it down to inexperience.” The trainer was particularly impressed with the colt’s finish: “Once he got him in top gear he finished strongly, so he’s a nice horse and he will improve again from that run.”
Looking ahead for Rocket Boy, Botti has several high-profile options on the table. “We’ve got a couple of options – we put him in the Royal Lodge (Newmarket) and he’s also in at Doncaster (Champagne Stakes) and there’s the Listed race at Haydock in early September (Ascendant Stakes),” he revealed. Botti concluded, “We’ll see which one we go for, but I would say I don’t think he’d want the ground too soft.”
The upcoming weeks promise to be an interesting period for Marco Botti and his team as they strategically plot the campaigns for these two talented horses. Their continued development will undoubtedly be closely watched by racing enthusiasts.
