This European-bred son of Wootton Bassett, now aged five, secured his first Group 1 win in the Canterbury Stakes at Royal Randwick in Australia on 8th March. 

A dual Group winner in England in the colours of Highclere Racing, Royal Patronage made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Australia, taking the Gr.2 Tramway Stakes last September. After finishing third in a Group 1 a month later, he stepped up again to deliver his career-best performance in Sydney’s Canterbury Stakes. Adrian Bott, who trains him alongside Gai Waterhouse, believes there is still more to come from the horse and said after the race: “He’s an incredible horse, you know, to do what he did in his first start in Australia and first preparation, I thought was, you know, one of the most forward Europeans that we’ve had over. 

“I always felt there would be some improvement to an extent, this preparation from him, and we’ve seen that today. He’s come and won an important weight-for-age Group 1 race for him and being an entire that’s going to help his value going forward, but I still feel there’s a bit more to come from him.” 

Royal Patronage was bred in France by Emma Capon Bloodstock and was sold in utero by the Aga Khan Studs when Blandford Bloodstock purchased his dam Shaloushka at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in 2018. A daughter of Dalakhani, Shaloushka is out of a half-sister to dual Derby winner Shahrastani. This prolific family has recently been to the fore in Europe with Listed winner and multiple Group performer Shembala and with Group 2 winning sprinter Shartash.