Wathnan Racing has been absolutely tearing up the track over the last three seasons. However, they only hit the scene in 2023 – but have already managed to take the racing world by storm.
Despite this, still, a lot of people continue to scratch their heads, wondering: who’s actually behind those increasingly iconic blue and gold silks?
So, Who Exactly Are Wathnan Racing?
It felt like it happened overnight.
Back in the summer of 2023, these new colors just started popping up on racecards everywhere, leaving fans and pundits alike asking, “Where did these guys come from?”
The word on the street was they wanted to make a quiet entrance, but that plan went out the window pretty fast.
You can’t exactly fly under the radar when you’re snapping up some of the best horses in the business. And then running them at one of the biggest flat meetings in the world – Royal Ascot.
They started with just a handful, but they were high-quality picks.
Wathnan Racing’s Real “coming out party” was Royal Ascot 2023
Any hope of staying low-key vanished when Gregory – one of their fresh purchases – stormed home to win the Queen’s Vase.
Then, just a few days later, while everyone was still talking about them, they levelled up again.
They captured the biggest prize of the week that year – the Ascot Gold Cup.
They did it with Courage Mon Ami, an improving young stayer they’d bought from A.E. Oppenheimer for a secret sum.
Who was trained by John Gosden and Thady.
To top it off, they had Frankie Dettori in the saddle for his final Gold Cup ride.
Talk about a fairy-tale start.
However, with a jockey like Dettori at the helm, who was riding at his final Royal Ascot, their winners were going to be hard to keep out of the news.
From their first three runners, they bagged two winners and over half a million pounds in prize money.
Not a bad week’s work, right? But this also got tongues wagging – as to just who are Wathnan Racing.
The Wathnan Winning Streak Continued
Since that explosive debut, the winners have kept coming for Wathnan Racing.
They picked up three more at Royal Ascot in 2024.
And followed that up with a massive four-timer in 2025, including Lazzat’s big win in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Who Owns Wathnan Racing? Just Who Really Is Pulling the Strings?
It played out like the end of a mystery movie.
Once everyone realised how much money was being spent, the “racing detectives” got to work.
It didn’t take long for the trail to lead to the Middle East – specifically to the same group that owned PSG football club and the man who brought the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.
In short: The man at the Wathnan Racing helm has plenty of resources.
The Big Reveal: The Emir of Qatar
The man behind Wathnan Racing is none other than Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir and ruler of Qatar.
He’s certainly got the pedigree for it.
His brother, Sheikh Joaan, runs Al Shaqab Racing, and his cousin is Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing.
It was almost inevitable he’d find his way to the top tier of UK ownership.
With a personal net worth estimated at £1.6 billion and a family fortune closer to £276 billion, “hitting the ground running” is an understatement.
To get things moving, he enlisted Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock to source the talent.
The Emir of Qatar – Wathnan Racing
Wathnan Racing – How It All Started
Richard Brown shared the backstory with the Racing Post in 2023.
He and Olly Tait had been friends since moving to Newmarket 25 years ago. It was on an Easter Sunday that Olly called him with a proposition.
Wathnan had already been buying horses to race in Qatar, and Richard had been helping out behind the scenes with valuations.
After those horses performed well, the owners decided they wanted to take a crack at British racing. Richard admitted he was “blown away” to be asked.
He’s since described the operation as incredibly disciplined and straightforward to work with.
Brown still works with Wathnan, alongside Australian Olly Tait.
The Team on the Ground – The Main Man in the Saddle: James Doyle
While Frankie Dettori did the honors in 2023, his move to the US meant Wathnan needed a permanent #1. They landed a serious talent in James Doyle.
Doyle is a familiar face to anyone following UK and Irish racing.
He spent nearly a decade with Godolphin and more recently served as the top-tier “understudy” to William Buick.
Doyle has a CV most jockeys would dream of, having previously been the main man for Khalid Abdullah (the legend behind Frankel and Enable).
He’s called the Wathnan job a “tremendous honour” and a massive opportunity.
Oh, and for those wondering James Doyle is no relation to top female jockey Hollie Doyle, who is also married to Tom Marquand.
The Wathnan Racing Silks
You can spot Wathnan horses by their blue body, gold sleeves, and red cap.
What started as a tiny operation of just three horses in mid-2023 has exploded.
They now have over 100 horses in training.
They’ve also spread the wealth across the training ranks, using over 15 different stables, including big names like Roger Varian, Ralph Beckett, and William Haggas.
A Family Tradition
The Emir isn’t just a casual fan; he’s the head of state and commander-in-chief of Qatar’s armed forces. His family is deeply woven into the fabric of global racing.
Between Al Shaqab’s sponsorship of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Qatar Racing’s support of the QIPCO British Champions Day, the Al Thani family has become the backbone of the modern sport.
Wathnan Racing is just the latest-and perhaps most ambitious-chapter in that legacy.
How Many Royal Ascot Winners Have Wathnan Racing Had?
In just three season’s Wathnan Racing have amassed 11 Royal Ascot winners – these successes came between 2023 and 2025.
With each year having slightly more winners – with two in 2023, four in 2024 and five last season in 2025.
- 2023 – GREGORY (Queen’s Vase)
- 2023 – COURAGE MON AMI (Ascot Gold Cup)
- 2024 – LEOVANNI (Queen Mary Stakes)
- 2024 – SHAREHOLDER (Norfolk Stakes)
- 2024 – ENGLISH OAK (Buckingham Palace Stakes)
- 2024 – HAATEM (Jersey Stakes)
- 2025 – HAATEM (Wolferton Stakes)
- 2025 – FRENCH MASTER (Copper Horse Stakes)
- 2025 – CRIMSON ADVOCATE (Duke Of Cambridge Stakes)
- 2025 – HUMIDITY (Chesham Stakes)
- 2025 – LAZZAT (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes)
(Wathnan Royal Ascot winners list accurate as of June 21, 2025)
WATCH: Lazzat Winning The 2025 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot
Wathnan Racing Also Won The 2025 Dubai World Cup
One of the biggest Wathnan Racing wins came in the 2025 Dubai World Cup when the unfancied 66/1 shot Hit Show won.
Trained in the US by Brad H. Cox, the horse scooped just over £5.5m in Dubai World Cup prize money with that win.
He was ridden by French jockey Florent Geroux.
