Tamarkuz Takes Godolphin Mile Thriller

Sheikh Hamdan's Tamarkuz fought out the finish with Sloane Avenue and won the $1 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Meydan Sobha (UAE-II) March 28 at Meydan.

 

The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Speightstown   eked out a nose victory after a slow start. He was all heart for Paul Hanagan when Sloane Avenue threw down a strong stretch challenge and dogged him to the finish line.

 

Conditioned by UAE champion trainer Musabah Al Muhairi, Tamarkuz covered the distance in 1:38.81 on a fast track and landed his seventh win from 13 career starts, and fourth straight. Those four wins have all come at one mile on the Meydan dirt.

 

He came in off a 2 3/4-length win in the Burj Nahaar (UAE-III), the course and distance prep for the Godolphin Mile on Super Saturday, March 7. That win followed a four-length romp in the Firebreak Stakes (UAE-III) Feb. 12 and handicap victory Jan. 8, both at Meydan.

 

"He's been so good from the stalls lately but this is such a big day, there's a lot to take in. The whole occasion got to him, Hanagan said of the slow start by Tamarkus who paid $3.80 and $2.10 as the 4-5 favorite in international pari-mutuel pools. "But he dug in so deeply. I didn't know whether I'd won but when Frankie (Dettori) said, 'Well done,' it made me feel good."

 

Pacesetter FrankyfourFingers led by four lengths at the top of the straight before he was engulfed the final 50 meters, ultimately finishing fifth..

 

In his dirt debut for trainer Jeremy Noseda, Susan Roy's Sloane Avenue secured a group II placing under Dettori. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Free Wheeling was third, another length and a half back, in the 15-horse field. 

 

Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Estate bought Tamarkuz for $325,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale from breeder John D. Gunther's Glennwood Farm, agent. The Godolphin Mile was his first group II victory third straight group stakes win.

 

Tamarkuz is the first starter for his dam, the unraced Lemon Drop Kid   mare Without You Babe, a half sister of Marozia, by Storm Bird, the dam of multiple grade I winner Stay Thirsty, Belmont Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Andromeda's Hero, who was a grade III winner, and stakes winner Superfly, who was grade I-placed.