Shareholder dividends boosted by smooth Norfolk success

Shareholder provided trainer Karl Burke and owners Wathnan Racing with a second two-year-old winner in as many days at Royal Ascot with a smart victory in the Norfolk Stakes.

The Spigot Lodge handler teamed up with the Qatar-based owners and jockey James Doyle to land the opening Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday’s card with the impressive Leovanni and Shareholder was a 12-1 shot to follow suit for the same connections in the day-three curtain-raiser.

Turning out just 12 days after overcoming greenness to make a successful debut at Beverley, the €460,000 purchase travelled strongly throughout in the five-strong group that raced on the far side of the track and despite edging left late on, he passed the post a length to the good.

Tropical Storm filled the runner-up spot, with Arizona Blaze a close-up third and 10-11 favourite Whistlejacket in fourth.

Doyle said: “He’s still learning. I tried to keep a lid on him for as long as possible, until we got down to the inside pole, I just wanted to give him time to get organised.

“His debut was a bit messy at Beverley, it’s a hard place to teach a horse, but he learned plenty.

“He’s got a big engine. A big thank you to Karl Burke, he’s produced these horses lovely, which isn’t an easy thing to do.

“He was very confident, Karl, so when he is confident, you respect his opinion.”

Of the owners, Doyle added: “It’s great for British racing to have a superpower like this really getting behind British racing. It’s been a tough sell, our sport, hasn’t it, so we have to really take note when people want to invest and they deserve all the success.”