Muhaarar Wins Third Group I Sprint
Description:
Sheikh Hamdam's Muhaarar won his third successive group I sprint in taking the Prix Maurice de Gheest Aug. 9 at Deauville and could go on to the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) this fall at Keeneland.
The 3-year-old son of Oasis Dream, trained by Charlie Hills, defeated Esoterique by a half length, with Gordon Lord Byron another half-length back in third in the 12-horse field.
With the victory the colt drew comparisons to Sheikh Hamdan's brilliant sprinter Dayjur, who until Sunday was the last horse to a the trio of group I sprints 25 years ago. Dayjur set a course record winning the 1990 Keeneland Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-I), won the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (Fr-I) by two lengths under 137 pounds, and went wire-to-wire in the Ladbroke Sprint Cup (Eng-I).
Winner of the Commonwealth Cup (Eng-I) and Darley July Cup (Eng-I) in his two most recent starts, Muhaarar was kept close to the early pace of Noozhoh Canarias and pressed that rival with a quarter mile to run. Gordon Lord Byron, who chased the early leaders, was moved to lead nearing the final furlong.
With Esoterique under pressure to his inside, Muhaarar willingly responded when called on, snatched the lead from Gordon Lord Byron with 150 yards to run, and dug in to repel hard-charging Esoterique.
Muhaarar was timed in 1:15.33 for 6 1/2 furlongs on good turf, solidifying his position as Europe's top sprinter. He is the first British-trained horse to win the three group I sprints.
Next up for Muhaarar could by the seven-furlong Prix de la Foret (Fr-I) in early October at Longchamp or the six-furlong Haydock Sprint Cup (Eng-I) a month earlier.
Hills has his eye on the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile Oct. 31 as perhaps the final career start for Muhaarar, whose dam is the Linamix mare Tahrir.
"Obviously we need to see how he comes out of this, but whatever happens, looking further ahead I wouldn't mind having a crack at the Breeders' Cup Mile," Hills told England's Press Association after the Maurice de Gheest.
Muhaarar's only previous attempt going a mile was in the French Two Thousand Guineas (Fr-I), in which he was eighth.