Havana Grey creeps up to six with a new winner in Italy, while Team Hannon reports Persian Force “the best we’ve had for years”

HAVANA GREY’s Holguin finished second to Persian Force in Newbury’s 6f conditions race but the Whitsbury Manor Stud sire didn’t end the day empty handed – his son Amuninni scoring at Milan on his second career start.

Amuninni was a Whitsbury Manor Stud €20,000 Goffs foal pinhook from Tullogher House Stud, sold at the Goffs UK yearling sale for £11,000.

The impressive Newbury winner Persian Force (Mehmas) took the Brocklesby at the beginning of the season, and he is heading next to the Coventry Stakes.

Trainer Richard Hannon said of Persian Force: “We don’t normally run in the Brocklesby, but he was ready and it was a long time between then and Ascot so we came here. He’s impressive at home and I wanted to know whether he’s a 5f or 6f horse and the great thing about today was it looked like he definitely wants six. He’s as nice a two-year-old as we’ve had for years. The Coventry is his next target. There was give in the ground at Doncaster, but it’s lovely ground today. Canford Cliffs was a standout and this fella is a similar ilk – one we haven’t seen for a long time.”

The colt is following in his sire’s footsteps and will be aiming to go one place better than Mehmas at Royal Ascot – Mehmas also won this Newbury race and went on to finish second in the Coventry to Caravaggio.

Persian Force was a Tally-Ho Stud pinhook – bought for €75,000 from Ringfort Stud at the Goffs November Foal Sale (bred by Tom Lacy), and sold by the farm at the 2021 Goffs Orby Sale for €225,000 for Peter and Ross Doyle. He is now owned by Amo Racing Ltd.