6 WANTAGE – 2022 TANKARD RUNNER

6 Drawn 9 56.0 5-year-old gelding

Owner:  Messrs R S Dyer, S N Buchan, N Evans, M K Chant, G de Jong, A Dixon, R Morgan, R Sherwood & Bryn Ressell

Breeder: Newbury Racing & Breeding Ltd Trainer: Bridget Stidolph

Breeding: Ato – Angora by Tamburlaine (IRE)

Colours: White and orange checked diamonds, white sleeves, orange cap

I respect Wantage, listed at 14/1 in the opening betting. 

As a three-year-old he had his illustrious stable companion, Lily Blue, to contend with. He won the 1600m Tote Free Handicap and the Guineas Trial over the same distance, and the Zimbabwe 2000 (Gr3), while coming second to Lily Blue in the Zimbabwe Guineas and the Zimbabwe Derby.

Both horses had their first outing in a 1200m Maiden Plate in April 2019 and Wantage beat Lily Blue by two lengths.  If he had known what was to come, he would have savoured that moment but, that said, Wantage has been consistent and also won another four races from 1600m to 2000m, vanquishing several of this year’s Castle Tankard runners in the process.

In the 2021 Pioneers & Heroes Tankard Wantage ran second, five lengths behind Dindingwe. He was ridden by claiming apprentice Walter Shumba that day so was well off in the weights but still.

Wantage’s most recent victory came in the 1700m Middle Stakes on January 9 in yielding going.  Only Him was a quarter of a length behind at level weights, while 2022 Tankard runners Heir Line, True Beauty, Armstrong and Bugatti Blue were further back.

Admittedly Wantage has run below par in his last three starts, but on his day he can pull out all the stops. Think about him.

Photograph by Zimbabwe Equine News.  After a change of ownership Wantage is running in new colours and so the choice of pics was limited.