Hellcat is a three-year-old chestnut filly with Vesper Solis Racing, trained by Ross Burdon in Newmarket.
Unlike plenty of horses offered for syndication, there is no waiting around to find out whether she will make the track. Nine starts by this stage of her three-year-old season makes Hellcat a relatively experienced young racehorse, with three placings already behind her and plenty of racecourse education in the bank.
She has also been kept active since joining Vesper Solis and Burdon’s yard earlier this year, already adding a placing to her record for her new connections.
She is by July Cup winner Mayson out of the Kodiac mare Vixen, a pedigree with speed written all over it.
Three Placings Already on the Board
Hellcat showed ability from the start of her racing career.
She finished third on debut at Thirsk as a two-year-old before returning to the same track less than two weeks later and finishing third again. She went on to gain experience in stronger company at York before moving into handicaps later in the season.
Hellcat changed yards ahead of her three-year-old campaign, joining Ross Burdon and Vesper Solis Racing.
She didn’t take long to get on the board for her new owners. At Wolverhampton in May, Hellcat outran odds of 33/1 to finish third, making late progress from the rear to give Vesper Solis their first placing with her.
It was her third career placing and showed that the ability she had displayed as a juvenile was still there under her new connections.
She remains a maiden, but has already shown she is capable of getting involved. With plenty of racing experience behind her at just three, the aim now is to turn those placed efforts into a first win.
Her Dad Could Seriously Sprint
There isn’t much mystery about where the speed in Hellcat’s pedigree comes from.
Her sire, Mayson, was a proper sprinter.
His best afternoon came in the 2012 July Cup at Newmarket, when he didn’t just win one of Britain’s biggest sprint races, he won it by five lengths. He raced 18 times during his career and was never asked to go beyond six furlongs.
Mayson went on to prove himself at stud too.
The standout is Oxted, who produced a nice bit of symmetry when winning the July Cup in 2020, eight years after his father had done exactly the same. Oxted later added another Group 1 in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Mayson has also produced the likes of Rohaan, another high-class sprinter who won the Wokingham at Royal Ascot twice.
Hellcat was never particularly likely to turn into a staying horse.
Speed on the Other Side Too
Hellcat’s dam, Vixen, brings another familiar sprinting influence through her sire Kodiac.
Kodiac needs little introduction to followers of British racing. Although he never won above Listed level himself, his stud career was a different story. He became one of Europe’s most reliable sources of fast, precocious horses and has produced Group 1 winners including Campanelle, Hello Youmzain and Good Guess.
Put Mayson over a Kodiac mare and the thinking isn’t difficult to work out.
Hellcat’s own career has followed the script, with her racing centred around sprint trips. At three, she is now at the stage where her handicap mark and racecourse experience give connections a much clearer idea of where she belongs.
Trained by Ross Burdon in Newmarket
Hellcat is trained by Ross Burdon from Sackville House Stables in Newmarket.
Burdon took an interesting route into training in his own name. His experience includes time with Sir Henry Cecil, Andrew Balding and, further afield, Australian champion trainer Chris Waller.
That is a fairly serious education before setting up on your own.
Now based in Newmarket, Burdon runs a much smaller, more personal operation, where owners can feel genuinely close to their horse and what is happening day to day.
Learning to Channel That Fire
Hellcat isn’t short of personality.
She has been described by trainers and jockeys as “a little fiery”, something that has occasionally been evident on the racecourse too. She can be keen and hasn’t always made life easy for herself, including at Wolverhampton in May when she was slowly away and raced towards the rear before staying on to take third.
But there are encouraging signs that she is beginning to put that energy to better use.
The longer Hellcat has spent with Ross Burdon at Sackville House Stables, the more she has settled into her surroundings. For a three-year-old with nine races already behind her, that leaves an interesting combination: plenty of racecourse experience, but still a young horse learning how to use it.
That gives Burdon something to work with. If Hellcat can continue to settle and conserve more of that energy for when it matters, it will be interesting to see what she can do when everything begins to click.
Hellcat Share Price and Ownership
Vesper Solis offers genuine percentage ownership in Hellcat, with the entry point starting at 1% for £99, followed by £40 per month in ongoing costs.
A 2% share costs £199, with monthly costs of £80, while larger percentages are also available.
The monthly contribution goes towards keeping Hellcat in training and covers the ongoing costs associated with her racing career.
Owners receive regular updates on Hellcat’s training and race plans, alongside opportunities for stable visits and race days where available. As percentage owners, members are also entitled to their respective share of prize money and any eventual proceeds from the sale of the horse.
A Sprinter With Racing Ahead of Her
Hellcat is still only three, but much of the groundwork has already been done.
She has racecourse experience, a handicap mark, proven placed form and has already got involved for her current owners. Her pedigree is packed with sprinting influence and, importantly, she appears to be settling and maturing the longer she spends in her current surroundings.
For prospective owners, the attraction is simple enough.
Hellcat isn’t waiting to become a racehorse. She already is one.
To find out more about Hellcat, including the syndicate and the ownership options currently available, visit Vesper Solis Racing’s Hellcat page.
