Husband and wife training duo Daniel and Claire Kubler will have to spend a fortune on the sale for their stable star Astro King, who will run in Friday’s $1 million Bahrain Trophy. “Dreams are made,” he said, because he is trying to prove that there is no way to secure big race riches on the track.
Bought for £36,000 at last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Training Horse Sale, Astro King (Ire) (King {GB}) made a profit of £103,080 when landed Cambridgeshire at Newmarket in September. I did. This result came after Astro King won the Heritage Handicap at York Racecourse and cashed a check for £51,540. This means that Capture the Moment, Carter and Lofthouse’s ownership group have long occupied bonus territory for six-year-old horses.
But on Wednesday, the Kublers, who were overseeing a morning of track work in Bahrain, admitted they were secretly confident that their dream run with the undisputed star would last a little while longer, with a big race on Friday. He expressed his desire to return home with more wealth.
Reverend Daniel said: “The horse is very well acclimated. We were a bit worried about the trip as it was the first time he had traveled this far, but he is doing very well and is very relaxed. He’s been training really well since he’s been here, and watching him this morning, he’s getting into the routine pretty quickly.”
Kubler added: “We have big, long straights here, so the track should suit him.” Baba is fast, but he seems to be covered in water quite a bit. We’re here for a quick landing, so I hope they don’t put any more strain on us! ”
Kubler Yard is truly a collaborative operation. The Lambourn-based stable has gone from strength to strength in a short period of time, producing 21 domestic winners in 2023.
Friday may be the first international runner on the training team, but that doesn’t mean Kuebler and the others are newbies when it comes to competing overseas. As well as working with Roger Charlton for three years, Daniel also spent time with François Doumen in France, legendary Australian trainer Guy Waterhouse and Ben Cecil in California. Meanwhile, Claire worked as an assistant to Patrick Gallagher in California and under Jeremy Noseda in Newmarket.
That said, the pair know how difficult it is to come across horses that can compete at this level, never mind finding one for just 36,000 pounds. That’s why the team has an opportunity to dream this week.
Claire explained: For its owners, it is a source of dreams. When they bought this horse last year, of course you live with the expectation that he would be a good horse, but he has already exceeded expectations. He won the York Ever Festival and then won Cambridgeshire which was really great. Unfortunately, he gave it his all on Friday. ”
So how did Astro King go from a player bought for £36,000 to a genuine contender for one of the richest races in the world, not to mention a £13 rise in ratings in just over a year? Has it undergone a transformation?
It’s well documented that the Kueblers aren’t your typical horse people in that they take a slightly more nuanced approach to training. As they say, the proof is in the diet, and there is no better representative of this training method than Astro His King.
Daniel said: “It would be nice if we could repeat that, but we’ve been doing really well lately and people are starting to have a little more confidence and give us more chances.” We got a little inspired and went and bought Astro King.
“At the time we had bought some yearlings, but we hadn’t sold them all yet. Naturally, the trainer sale happened shortly after, and a few things put us at risk. A guy named Richard Farquhar, who is helping me out, told us we had to go buy this horse. We did that and it went very well. But we… We love to consider all forms and are very analytical people by nature, so training horse sales suit us.
“Then when you bring them home, you add the equestrian aspect and we have a really good team at home. It’s all about finding the right people to work with each individual horse, but… That worked for AstroKing.”
Regarding his training methods, he continued: “Equestrianism and the relationship with the horse is the key to everything. It’s based on the interaction with the horse, but we also do analytical things like stride analysis and genetic testing to provide a more analytical and data-driven approach. We’re basically trying to figure out how to get the best out of the horse. It’s a puzzle, and the more clues we have, the easier it is to solve.”
Bookmakers say Friday’s Bahrain Trophy will be much harder to crack with Charlie Appleby-trained Nations Pride (Aire) (Teofilo {Aire}) leading the market at general odds of 15-8. It would make you believe it’s not a puzzle. Astro King is offered at a much more common 16-1 in some places, and Kubler has no illusions about the task at hand.
Claire said: “I’m really excited to be here and it’s great that Bahrain Turf Club is hosting this race.” They are obviously very progressive and are striving to make this a famous race on the international calendar. ”
Daniel added: “They’re attracting a really premium field. It’s a quality race and while we’re a little unsure about some of the horses in terms of ratings, to be successful in a race like this… We know we came here with a deserving and progressive horse. We have nothing to lose. We’ve been looked at very well since we’ve been here and in many ways it’s close to zero. Prize money. I’d like to think there’s a chance of winning some of that, but I don’t know if I can beat a horse rated 121 in the Nations Pride.”