BOTTI TARGETS TRANSATLANTIC GLORY WITH GREAT GENERATION AND GIAVELLOTTO
Newmarket-based trainer Marco Botti is looking ahead to a busy weekend with runners in key races across Europe and the USA. Multiple Group 3 winner GREAT GENERATION lines up in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, while 2024 Group 1 Hong Kong Vase winner GIAVELLOTTO heads to the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Sunday.
Botti has an impressive international record with over 20 Stakes wins overseas. His roll of honour includes the 2014 Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes with EURO CHARLINE (GB) for Team Valor.
The trainer is hoping for more success stateside with Great Generation, who has won three Group 3 races for the stable, including on debut this year in the Group 3 Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield.
Marco Botti spoke to Great British Racing International (GBRI) about the filly’s Keeneland target:
“She’s been training very well at home. She travelled on Wednesday and is settling fine. The race looks strong, as you would expect for a Grade 1, and it is the first time she will run over the mile but with two bends we hope she will go well. She has a good turn of foot and likes fast ground so we are hopeful.
“Those international races are very important for us and for the owners as it gives them the opportunity to travel with their horses and we have been fairly successful. Our owners are usually keen to take those opportunities and so we are always looking for the right horses to go abroad.”
The four-year-old filly was purchased privately by leading South African owner-breeder Mrs Gaynor Rupert in December 2024. Mrs Rupert, who owns leading South African farm Drakenstein Stud, has also set up a breeding farm in Britain at Cayton Park Stud. On the filly’s private acquisition, Botti said:
“She was purchased by Mrs Rupert with a long-term view of becoming part of the broodmare band of Cayton Park Stud. She was already a black-type filly and I was delighted to win another Group race with her in the colours of the Ruperts. They kept her in training with me and I was happy to win that race for them. She has all it takes to be a fantastic broodmare in the future.”
Lucie Botti, an integral part of the training operation, is with the filly in Keeneland. She spoke to GBRI about how Great Generation has settled to life in the USA:
“She settled in beautifully here at Keeneland and has shown her usual professionalism in everything we have asked of her. Over the years we’ve been fortunate to enjoy success in the U.S with Grade 1 wins and several consistent black-type performances. To bring a filly of her quality here is very exciting.”
The team is also eagerly awaiting Giavellotto’s run in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The six-year-old has been lightly raced this season but was last seen winning at Group 3 level. Talking about Giavellotto’s chances, Botti said:
“We made the decision to run Giavellotto in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the forecast looks quite dry and he wants good ground. Hopefully the rain will stay away. He is in good form and is lightly raced this year. We have Andrea Atzeni coming to ride him. It is a tough race but he deserves to be there so we take on the challenge and aim to go back to Hong Kong in December.”