Limato

Background

Limato is a bay gelding with a white blaze and white socks on his hind legs bred in Ireland by Seamus Phelan. His sire Tagula was a sprinter who whose wins included the July Stakes, Prix Morny in 1995 and the Supreme Stakes in 1996. As a breeding stallion he has produced several other major winners, most notably the leading miler Canford Cliffs. Limato's dam Come April recorded her only success in a ten-furlong maiden race on the Polytrack at Lingfield Park as a three-year-old in 2007. Her grand-dam Sumoto was a very successful broodmare who also produced Compton Admiral and Summoner.

As yearling colt in August 2013 Limato was put up for auction at Doncaster Premier Yearling sale and was bought for £41,000 by the bloodstock agents Peter & Ross Doyle. He entered the ownership of Paul G Jacobs and was initially sent into training with Richard Hannon, Sr..

2014: two-year-old season

Before his raccourse debut Limato was gelded and transferred to the table of the veteran Henry Candy at Kingston Warren in Oxfordshire. Limato made his first appearance on 11 June on the synthetic track at Kempton Park Racecourse when he contested a six furlong maiden race and won "comfortably" by two and a half lengths from the Charlie Appleby-trained favourite Hawkesbury. Two weeks later the gelding started 4/6 favourite for a race over the same course and distance and won "easily" from five opponents after taking the lead a furlong out. On 18 July Limato was moved up in class and tried on turf for the first time when he ran in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes on good-to-firm ground at Newbury Racecourse. He was made the 11/8 second favourite behind Adaay, a colt who had won his first two races before running poorly when joint-favourite for the Coventry Stakes. Ridden by James Doyle he tracked the leader Cotai Glory before taking the lead inside the final furlong and winning "readily" by one and a quarter lengths. Candy commented "I thought James was enormously confident. He said he was so green going down, he'd only had two starts under the lights at Kempton and had a good look around... He's always been a horse I have thought a lot of but he needed the education today and that's what he got."

After a break of over two months Limato returned in the Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar Racecourse on 4 October and started the 6/5 favourite against twenty-two opponents. Ridden by Graham Lee he was among the leaders from the start, went to the front approaching the final furlong and won "smoothly" by one and a half lengths from Mattmu. Candy commented "You don't get them like that very often. It was a most amazing performance. I think Graham was absolutely blown away by it. He didn't know what to say when he came back. It was wonderful... I'd say this horse was as good as any I've trained".

2015: three-year-old season

Limato began his second season in the Group Three Pavilion Stakes on good-to-firm ground at Ascot Racecourse on 29 April and started the 6/4 favourite. Hawkesbury and Adaay were again in opposition whilst the best-fancied of the other nine runners was the John Gosden-trained filly Tendu. Racing down the centre of the track, he took the lead a furlong out and won by one and a half lengths from Tendu, with Adaay another length and a half back in third. After the race Candy said "He was very rusty and he’s had a real good blow after that. I’ve not been able to get him fit at home as he’s not been doing much. James was quite forceful early on and the penny then seemed to drop". A month later he was moved up to Group Two class for the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park and started favourite but sustained his first defeat as he was beaten a length into second place by Adaay. At Royal Ascot in June he started the 9/2 second favourite for the inaugural running of the Group One Commonwealth Cup. After being restrained by Doyle towards the rear of the eighteen-runner field in the early stages he made steady progress in the last quarter mile to finish second to Muhaarar.

After a break of almost three months Limato returned to the track in the Group Two Park Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse in September. Ridden by Andrea Atzeni he started 9/2 favourite in a fifteen-runner field, with the best-fancied of his opponents being Home of the Brave (European Free Handicap), Lightning Moon (Bengough Stakes), Safety Check (Zabeel Mile) and Ivawood (Richmond Stakes). After starting slowly and overcoming some trouble in running he took the lead entering the final furlong before drawing away to win "readily" by three and three quarter lengths from Markaz. Atzeni said "It's amazing, amazing, like driving a Ferrari." whilst Candy commented "That was very exciting... He just goes to sleep in the stalls. Today he stayed asleep and got into every bit of trouble going, but as soon as he sees daylight he's a help to any jockey. I was desperate to run him today because he's just been going up the gallops for four months. Any horse is going to get pretty bored with that".

Limato ended his second season with a trip to France and a move up in distance when he contested the Prix de la Foret over 1400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse on 4 October. Ridden by Ryan Moore he came from the rear of the field to make a strong challenge in the last 200 metres but was beaten into second place by Make Believe.

2016: four-year-old season

Harry Bentley took over as Limato's regular jockey in 2016. On his seasonal debut, the gelding was tried over a mile in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and finished fourth behind Belardo after struggling to obtain a clear run in the last quarter mile. On 9 July Limato was dropped back to sprint distances for the Group One July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse and started the 9/2 favourite. His seventeen opponents included Quiet Reflection, Air Force Blue, Sole Power, Magical Memory (Duke of York Stakes), Twilight Son (Haydock Sprint Cup), Profitable (King's Stand Stakes), and Mongolian Saturday (Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint). After tracking the leaders, Limato took the lead accelerated clear in the final furlong and won in "impressive" style by two lengths from Suedois despite hanging badly to the right in the final strides. After the race Harry Bentley explained that he had been offered the ride on the gelding in late 2015 by the owner Paul Jacobs and said that he had "snatched his arm off" in accepting the offer. Candy mused about the possibility of moving the gelding up to a mile again, saying "I’ve been trying to train him to stay all through the year. I think he’ll probably do it OK."

Despite Candy's predictions Limato was dropped to five furlongs for the first time in his racing career when he started 15/8 fvourite for the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse in August. He finished strongly but was unable to peg back the five-year-old mare Mecca's Angel and was beaten two lengths into second place. On 2 October the gelding made his second attempt to win the Prix de La Foret (run at Chantilly Racecourse) and was made the odds-on favourite. His ten opponents included Jimmy Two Times (Prix de la Porte Maillot), Suedois, Attendu (Prix du Palais-Royal), Trixia (Prix de Lieurey) and Birchwood (Superlative Stakes). After tracking the leaders Limato took the lead 350 metres from the finish and drew away to win "comfortably" by three lengths from the 40/1 outsider Karar. After the race Candy said "He was cantering and then quickened up in proper Limato style. He looked like he was starting to go a bit rusty in his coat today, but if he's absolutely bouncing we would have to discuss going to the Breeders' Cup."

On 5 November Limato was sent to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park and started the 3.4/1 favourite ahead of the 2015 winner Tepin. He finished sixth of the fourteen runners, three and a half lengths behind the winner Tourist. Candy commented "there are no excuses. I just think it's late enough in the year for him... Not many of my horses function in November."

Assessment

In the 2016 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings Limato was given a rating of 122, making him the 18th best racehorse in the world and the second-best horse trained in Britain. He was rated equal with the Australian gelding Chautauqua as the world's best sprinter.