Wootton Bassett 2YO Impressive on Debut

Wootton Bassett has been making news in Australia in recent months with his first crop of locally bred yearlings lighting up sales around the country and at Navan in Ireland on Saturday he posted a brilliant debut winner with Royal Ascot aspirations in Camille Pissarro (2c Wootton Bassett x Entreat, by Pivotal).

Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, Camille Pissarro was a short priced favourite and looked very professional working through his gears to surge clear and win the 6f juvenile contest by a length and a half.

The same race was won last year by another Wootton Bassett colt in River Tiber, who also progressed to Royal Ascot and won the Group II Coventry Stakes.

“He is very exciting,” Ballydoyle representative Chris Armstrong.

“The penny was only starting to drop with him really in the last half-furlong, which was probably the best part of the race for him. He has a very good attitude which is typical of the Wootton Bassetts.

“He is definitely one for Ascot, he’s a classy sort. Whether we get one run into him between now and Ascot, I’m not sure.”

Camille Pissarro was purchased by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1.25millionguineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 and was the highest priced yearling by his sire sold at that sale.

He is a half-brother to Group I winning sprinter Golden Horde and stakes-winners Exhort and Line of Departure being the eighth winner from nine foals to race from exceptional producer Entreat, a half-sister by Pivotal to Group II winner Producer.

Local buyers have welcomed the stock of Wootton Bassett with his yearlings averaging $465,625 (32 sold) at Magic Millions and $391,364 (22 sold) at Inglis Easter.

His top sellers in Australia have been a $2.1million filly from Champion mare Avantage bought by David Ellis, a colt from Fiera Vista bought by Tom Magnier for $1.6million and a colt from Sunlight bought by Paul Moroney Bloodstock/ C Bruggeman for $1.4million.