Major wins
- Fillies' Mile - Commissioning (2022)
- Lockinge Stakes - Audience (2024)
| Robert Havlin | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Major racing wins | |
| Major races: Fillies' Mile (2022) Lockinge Stakes (2024) | |
Robert Havlin (born December 1973), usually known as Rab Havlin, is a Group 1-winning Scottish jockey, who predominantly rides for the John Gosden stable. His biggest victories to date have been the 2022 Fillies' Mile on Commissioning and the 2024 Lockinge Stakes on Audience, but he has also won at Royal Ascot - the 2016 Windsor Castle Stakes with Ardad and the 2021 Ribblesdale Stakes with Loving Dream.
Havlin grew up in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire. [1] In his teens, in the evenings he worked for a local horse dealer, Alex Whyte and on Saturday mornings, his mother took him to the yard of John Wilson near Ayr Racecourse. After leaving school, Havlin joined the yard full time. [2]
He started out as an apprentice at Manton Stables in Wiltshire, originally to Peter Chapple-Hyam, then to John Gosden. This started promisingly, with 32 winners in 1996, followed by 15 more in each of the two following seasons. [2]
In June 2000, he won his first Listed race at Lingfield on Mount Abu for Gosden. [3] It was another three years before he won another black type race (the 2003 Lancashire Oaks on Place Rouge, also for Gosden) and a further three before he added a third (the Aphrodite Stakes on Quenched, again for Gosden). Gosden was a paternal influence on Havlin and when the trainer moved to Newmarket, although he was unable to offer Havlin a job himself, he instructed him to get in touch if he himself moved there, which he did.
Havlin became pivotal in bringing forward some of Gosden's star horses. He rode work on Golden Horn and Kingman, a horse that in 2016 Havlin claimed was the best he had ridden.
He won the Italian Derby in 2012 on Feuerblitz for Michael Figge. That same season, he formed a strong partnership with Hughie Morrison's filly Coquet, winning two Listed races - the Montrose Stakes and the Height of Fashion Stakes.
In 2015, he had his best year to that date, riding 73 winners from more than 500 rides in the UK [2] and adding the Oaks d'Italia to his previous Italian Derby win, riding Lovelyn for Peter Schiergen. On Gretchen, he won the Listed Chalice Stakes and Group 2 Park Hill Stakes and on Journey, he won two Listed races - the Upavon Fillies' Stakes and Princess Royal Stakes.
He rode his first Royal Ascot winner the following year on Gosden's Ardad in the Windsor Castle Stakes. [2] Other Group wins were on California in the Lillie Langtry Stakes, Richard Pankhurst in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes and Persuasive in the Atalanta Stakes, again all for Gosden.
In March 2017, he was banned for six months by France Galop after testing positive for five banned substances at Saint-Cloud the previous autumn. The ban was reciprocated by the British governing authority, the BHA. [4] Havlin maintained his innocence and went through a series of appeals, at one of which Gosden spoke forcefully on his behalf. [5] However, the ruling was not overturned and he had to wait out the end of his suspension in October. His seasonal win total of 27 that year was his lowest since 2004 and he estimated that the affair had cost him a six figure sum in legal fees and lost earnings. [5] After this setback, he returned in 2018 to secure his best season numerically to date, winning 127 races for £1,346,189 in prize money. [3] In 2021, he had a second Royal Ascot winner - Loving Dream in the Ribblesdale Stakes.
He won his first Group 1 race after a 30-year wait in 2022 - the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket on the Gosden-trained Commissioning. He had previously won the Rockfel Stakes on her. [6] After the win, fellow jockey and close friend Frankie Dettori paid tribute, calling Havlin "a key part of the team" and claiming that most of his success was down to Havlin having prepared most of the best horses in his life. [7]
In 2023, he topped £1.5 million in prize money for the first time [3] and ended the year 16th in the Jockeys' Championship. Among his big winners for the season were Lord North in the Winter Derby and Audience in the Criterion Stakes. Then, in May 2024, he added a second Group 1 victory, winning the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on his stable's second string, Audience. [8] To date, he has ridden over 1,200 winners. [9]
He has been described as a rider with the "rare ability to relax headstrong horses". [2]
He has two daughters, India and Lucia, with partner Kelly.
The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.
The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The Rockfel Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.
Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and rode the winners of 287 Group 1 races including 23 winners of the British Classic Races. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Festival of Racing Day at Ascot Racecourse on 28 September 1996.
John Harry Martin Gosden is a British racehorse trainer. He has trained over 3,000 winners worldwide, including winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Derby, the Arc, the King George, the Eclipse. He has over 600 winners in the United States.
James Joseph Fortune is a retired Irish thoroughbred jockey who in a 30-year career won over 1,800 races, including 16 Group 1s, and 1 British Classic, the 2007 St Leger.
Tom Queally is an Irish flat racing jockey based in Britain. He rode Frankel in his unbeaten 14-race career.
William Buick is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he was stable jockey to John Gosden. In 2015 he signed with Godolphin. Buick won his first Group1 race in Canada in 2010 and since then has won Group 1 races in England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. He has won five British Classic Races: the St Leger in 2010, 2011 and 2021, the Derby in 2018 and the 2000 Guineas in 2024.
Lahan was a British thoroughbred racehorse. In a brief career which lasted from October 1999 until May 2000 she ran four times and won three races. On the second of her two races in 1999 she won the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. In the following spring she won the Classic 1000 Guineas at the same course.
Speciosa is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from June 2005 and October 2007 she ran seventeen times and won four races. As a two-year-old, she won two of her six races including an upset win in the Group Two Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. As a three-year-old she won the Nell Gwyn Stakes and then took the Classic 1000 Guineas for her trainer and part owner Pam Sly. She failed to win in nine subsequent races although she placed second in the Earl of Sefton Stakes and the Pretty Polly Stakes. She was retired at the end of the 2007 season to become a broodmare. Her front-running style and unconventional background made her a popular Classic winner.
Rockfel was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two Classics in 1938. In a career which lasted from July 1937 until May 1939 she ran thirteen times and won eight races. Rockfel began her career at the lowest level, being beaten in a selling race, but improved to become recognised as one of the best British racemares of the 20th century. In 1938 she was the dominant three-year-old in England, winning the 1000 Guineas over one mile at Newmarket and the Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom. In the autumn she defeated colts in the Champion Stakes and the Aintree Derby and was retired after winning her only race as a four-year-old. She produced one foal before dying in November 1941.
The Fugue is a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was named European Champion three-year-old filly at the Cartier Racing Awards. She won her only race as a two-year-old in 2011 before developing into one of the best fillies in Europe in the following season. She won the Musidora Stakes at York and the Nassau Stakes and was considered an unlucky loser in both the Oaks Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. In 2013, The Fugue won the Yorkshire Oaks before recording her biggest win in the Irish Champion Stakes. She then travelled to California to compete for a second time at the Breeders' Cup, finishing second in the Turf. As a five-year-old, she defeated a strong field to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot but was retired after suffering an injury in the Eclipse Stakes. She won six of her seventeen races, including four at Group One level.
Musical Bliss (1986–2006) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 1000 Guineas in 1989. In a racing career lasting from July 1988 until August 1989, the filly ran five times and won three races. In 1988, Musical Bliss won both her races including the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. On her first appearance as a three-year-old, she won the 1000 Guineas but ran poorly in her two other races and was retired from racing at the end of the year. Her record as a broodmare was mixed.
Shalaa is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2015 he was beaten on his debut but won his next five races including the July Stakes, Richmond Stakes, Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. His second season was badly disrupted by injury, although he did win the Bengough Stakes.
Bracelet is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won the second of her two starts as a two-year-old in 2013 and developed into a top-class filly in the following year, taking the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial and Ribblesdale Stakes. She recorded her biggest victory on her sixth and final appearance when she won the Irish Oaks. She was retired from racing at the end of the season and became a broodmare for the Coolmore Stud.
The 2018 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 28 July 2018. It was the 68th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Coronet is a British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she won both of her races including the Listed Zetland Stakes. In the following year her only win came in the Ribblesdale Stakes but she also finished second in the Yorkshire Oaks, third in the Prix Saint-Alary and the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and fourth in the Irish Oaks. As a four-year-old she won the Middleton Stakes and was placed in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Yorkshire Oaks, British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. She had her greatest success as a five-year-old when she recorded Group 1 victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Prix Jean Romanet.
Star Catcher is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She ran sixth in her only run as a two-year-old in 2018 and showed promise in the following spring when she won on her seasonal debut and then finished third in the Fillies' Trial Stakes. Star Catcher then established herself as a top-class performer with wins in the Ribblesdale Stakes, Irish Oaks, Prix Vermeille and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.
Lord North is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning his only race as a juvenile in 2018, he won again on his three-year-old debut but ran poorly on his next start and was subsequently gelded. He returned to the track in the autumn of 2019 and recorded victories in the Cambridgeshire Handicap and the James Seymour Stakes. The gelding made further progress in 2020 when he won the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and the Prince of Wales's Stakes.
Loving Dream is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning the second of her two starts as a two-year-old in 2020 she excelled over long and extended distances in the following year, winning the Ribblesdale Stakes in England and the Prix de Royallieu in France.