Qatar win opens up new options for Rogue Lightning

Tom Clover’s Rogue Lightning will have further six-furlong targets after a return to form in the Dukhan Sprint on Sunday.

The five-year-old won three in a row during the 2023 season and capped the year with a career-best performance to come home just over a length behind Highfield Princess in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

Bought by Qatari outfit Wathnan Racing since, he remained with Clover and won his first race for new connections in Qatar at the weekend.

A cast of good quality sprinters assembled for the race, with Kevin Ryan’s Washington Heights and Stuart Williams’ Quinault also competing from British yards.

Those two filled the places, but it was Rogue Lightning who came out on top with a neat one-length success in his first run over six furlongs since May 2023.

“It was a great result, I was so pleased for the Wathnan team as they put a lot of faith in us in buying the horse and keeping him with us,” said Clover.

“Last season didn’t quite work out as we’d like so it’s great to see him back to winning ways, it’s a great result for everyone.

“With Wathnan becoming a more and more prevalent force in our industry it’s really exciting to have a nice horse for them to win on their big day.

“If we get invited to Dubai then the Al Quoz Sprint would be the obvious place to go next, having won at six now it would make sense to look at further six-furlong options throughout the summer here (Britain).

“You’d have to say he finished strongly on the line, he relaxed well, so hopefully some nice six-furlong races here through the summer will be the plan.

“He was seriously quick at three and for whatever reason sometimes they can just miss a year, he just didn’t find life as easy last year but he seems to have come back.

“He trained very well going into this race and is hopefully back to his old self, we all know the ability has always been there so hopefully he can continue to show it.”