Owned by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s venture, Damysus is trained by John and Thady Gosden with James Doyle riding at its back.
Wathnan Racing’s Damysus emerged victorious in Group 3 of the Too Darn Hot Darley Stakes in U.K.’s Newmarket on Saturday to continue its excellent season with back-to-back wins.
Over the 1800-metre stretch, the three-year-old colt came clutch in the final stretch to topple the favourite and clinch its first group win.
Damysus had come to the race having impressed at The Aga Khan Studs Prix Nureyev Listed Stakes in France’s Deauville in August.
The progressive colt continued in its upward trajectory with a late surge on Saturday, having maintained its position before galloping to a win by three-quarters of a length.
Owned by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s venture, Damysus is trained by John and Thady Gosden with James Doyle riding at its back.
Damysus’ win on Saturday was yet another feather in the Qatar Amir-backed racing venture.
In late September, Wathnan Racing-owned four-year-old colt emerged victorious at the Group 3 of the UAE President Cup – Central European Derby in Poland to take home its second group win.
In Aygust’s series of impressive performances, RB Mary Lylah and Heredia, two mares owned by the racing club, had won in France and the U.S., respectively.
Born out of the highly successful Umm Qarn Stud Farm, Wathnan Racing is named after a desert Arabian horse, often considered a beloved stallion of the Al Thani family folklore.
“Wathnan can be translated as a ‘crown of ears’, referring to his pricked ears, the surest sign that a horse truly is your friend,” the brand’s official website reads.
After its inception in 2022, Wathnan Racing made a rapid impact domestically, winning both seasons that it had run in Qatar.
The breakthrough moment, internationally, then came around May and June in 2023, as the then-three-runners-strong managed to pull off one famous victory after another, in a sport that often consists of a high degree of uncertainty.
Courage Mon Ami secured a headline-grabbing Gold Cup win, while Gregory clinched the Queen’s Vase at the Royal Ascot. The series of impressive performances had started after Isaac Shelby’s impressive display at the Poule d’Essai des Poulains earlier.
It was only after the Gold Cup success that the Amir’s ownership of the 2022-founded racing group was made public.
It has since made regular podium appearances across prestigious races and possesses colts with high potential.
The culmination of continued successes, perhaps, came at the Dubai World Cup, one of the most prestigious and richest races in the calendar, in April 2025.
Wathnan’s thoroughbred roan horse Hit Show galloped to his first Group 1 win in Dubai’s Meydan, bringing home a whopping $12 million (about QAR 43.7 million) in prize money.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, then dedicated a poem to Qatar’s Amir in celebration of Hit Show’s win, acknowledging his well-deserved win, while also emphasising the strong relationship between the UAE and Qatar.
