At the start of any flat season, much excitement centres around the emergence of new stars in the juvenile division and, particularly, how the leading two-year-olds from the previous year will fare in their Classic campaigns. Thanks to the exploits of City Of Troy, Notable Speech, Rosallion and others, the three-year-olds have delivered, whilst the displays of The Lion In Winter, Fairy Godmother, and others have whet the appetite for next season.
However, there is more to the racing game than the two- and three-year-old performers. We shouldn’t forget those aged four and above who race on and continue to target the biggest prizes. In the realm of the older runners, Sir Michael Stoute has few equals, with the ability of the Newmarket trainer to improve horses being second to none. Given Stoute’s record with older runners, racing fans were eager to see how the hugely promising Passenger would get on in 2024.
Late Bloomer Makes a Promising Start in 2023
As one of the most patient trainers in the sport, it is far from unusual to see Stoute forego a juvenile campaign entirely with his most talented inmates. Such was the case with Passenger, who only debuted as a three-year-old in April 2023.
Sired by the Stoute-trained Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner, Ulysses, and going in the same Flaxman Stables silks, Passenger made the perfect start to his career when cruising clear in a Maiden event at Newmarket. Upped in class for the Dante Stakes next time out, he finished only third but looked hugely unlucky, having repeatedly found trouble in running before hitting the line strongly. Next stop – the Epsom Derby.
Tackling the blue riband of the British flat season on only your third career start is a tall order for any horse. Despite that inexperience, Passenger was sent off at 8/1 but failed to handle the occasion to beat only two home. However, many quality performers have rebounded from Epsom disappointment – Dubai Millennium, to name just one – and connections retained the faith that they had a smart performer on their hands.
That opinion was justified when Passenger toughed it out well to beat the odds-on West Wind Blows in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes on his final start at three, setting things up nicely for a four-year-old campaign.
2024: Triumph and Disaster
Making his seasonal return in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at the Chester May Meeting, Passenger produced a career-best effort to see off subsequent Wolferton Stakes champ Israr, five-time Group winning stablemate Regal Reality, and the talented Irish raider Mashhoor.
That performance made Passenger a live contender for the biggest 1m2f events of the season, including the Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International, as he sought to follow in the hoofprints of his father. In the end, he didn’t make it to either of those races.
Sent to York for the Group 2 City of York Stakes for his next assignment, Passenger managed only third behind Alflaila and King’s Gambit – not a desperate effort but a disappointment for a horse who appeared to be on an upward trajectory.
Lameness on his right fore was put forward as a reason for the defeat. However, it soon became clear the problem was significantly worse, with a post-race x-ray revealing Passenger had suffered a condylar fracture during the contest – potentially putting his career in jeopardy.
Signs of Encouragement ahead of 2025
Happily, for Passenger, the early prognosis looks good. He certainly won’t return to the track in 2024 but is reportedly recovering well following surgery, with racing manager Alan Cooper stating, “He’s come out of his surgery in good shape and is starting his rehab programme. That will take a bit of time but hopefully, we will have him back next year.”
Passenger still has a long road ahead of him but may yet get his day in the Group 1 spotlight as a five-year-old. Four of Sir Michael Stoute’s Coral-Eclipse winners were five years of age, as were two of his winners in the Juddmonte International.
