HEADWAY (Havana Gold) is a possible classic hope and a tasty 20/1 shot for the Qipco 2000 Guineas this year. This follows his exhilarating last to first victory on his all-weather debut in the £45,000 Listed 32Red Spring Cup for three-year-olds at Lingfield Park on Saturday.

The William Haggas-trained colt, owned by The Royal Ascot Racing Club, was beaten a head by Rajasinghe in last season’s Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and was third in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes. While he has yet to tackle a mile, his connections believe it will suit him well.

Headway was bred by a partnership consisting of the Player’s Whatton Manor Stud, Global Equine and the bloodstock agent Larry Stratton. He was sold as a foal through John McEnery’s Rossenarra Stud for 38,000ghs to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock, acting for the Morrin brothers at Pier House Stud. They then sold him for profit as a yearling to John and Jake Warren for 60,000gns. He has already earned in excess of £90,000 and has been in the frame on five of his six starts.

Headway is the third foal and second winner for his dam On Her Way (Medicean), the other being Way Ahead (Kyllachy) who is a winner in Greece. Following Headway are a two-year-old son of Bated Breath (Dansili) and a filly foal, already on the ground in 2018, by Charming Thought (Oasis Dream).

The Bated Breath two-year-old was a spectacular pinhooking success last year, being purchased as a foal in 2016 by Deer Forest Stud for 17,000gns and selling last October to China Horse Club for 120,000gns.

On Her Way was bred by Peter Player at Whatton Manor and sold as a yearling to Henry Cecil for 65,000gns. She raced successfully for Malih Al Basti when trained by Cecil, winning twice. She ended her racing career by making three starts from Luca Cumani’s stable. On Her Way is one of four winners out of Singed (Zamindar), a winner in France for her owner and breeder Khalid Abdullah and Juddmonte Farms. Singed’s grandam was the ultra-smart mare Infra Green (Laser Light) and this Group 1 winner in France and Italy won the Prix Ganay.

Headway is among the runners flying the flag for Havana Gold (Teofilo) and that Group 1 winner stands for £15,000 in 2018 at David Redvers’ Tweenhills Stud in Gloucestershire. From the first crop of his sire, Headway is the third stakes winner for Havana Gold, following Havana Grey and Treasuring. The former won the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes last year and chased home Unfortunately in the Group 1 Prix Morny. Treasuring meanwhile travelled to Ireland last year and won the Group 3 Curragh Stakes.

Havana Gold had a fourth stakes winner on Friday, March 9th when the gelding Barade won a listed race on the Polytrack at Chantilly.