John Gosden unveiled yet another top prospect when Anapurna put six lengths between herself and her closest pursuer, Tauteke, in the Listed RaceBets Money Back All Losers Oaks Trial Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield. Soft ground and an extended 11-and-a-half-furlong trip made it a test of stamina for these three-year-old fillies. Frankie Dettori was in the saddle.
The daughter of Frankel (by Galileo) carries the famous black and white colours of Helena Springfield Ltd and is homebred at Meon Valley Stud. She was unplaced in a Wolverhampton maiden on her debut in late December but won easily over ten furlongs at Lingfield a month later and was making her first appearance on turf today. As one might expect, she holds entries in both the Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom and Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, and she is now among the ante-post favourites for the former after this exciting performance.
Anapurna is a half-sister to the stakes-placed ten-furlong winner Very Dashing (by Dansili) and to Dynasty (by Danehill Dancer), a former Ballydoyle trainee who was short-headed in the Group 3 Tetrarch Stakes nine years ago. Her dam, Dash To The Top (by Montjeu), won the Listed Hoppings Stakes over ten at Newcastle a couple of months before getting within half a length of beating Punctilious in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks, which came a month before she finished fourth to Shawanda in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille. The mare's half-sister Dash To The Front (by Diktat) is the stakes-winning dam of Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Speedy Boarding (by Shamardal), and they are out of Millennium Dash (by Nashwan), a daughter of the brilliant miler Milligram (by Mill Reef). That Timeform 130-rated star was runner-up in both the 1000 Guineas and Irish 1000 Guineas but then an easy winner of the Group 2 Coronation Stakes before becoming one of the rare horses to beat the even more brilliant Miesque, that memorable day coming in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in 1987. Anapurna, who represents the increasingly popular 3x3 inbreeding to Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer), is a filly of considerable potential and it will be fascinating to see how highly in the rankings she can go. There is every reason to hope that she could be a Group 1 filly in the making.
John Gosden-trained three-year-old Mehdaayih shot to the fore of the ante-post market for next month's Group 1 Investec Oaks following an impressive performance in the Listed Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks over an extended mile and three at Chester, showing a fine turn of foot before powering clear to beat the previously undefeated stakes winner Manuela De Vega (gave 3lbs) by four and a half lengths.
The daughter of Frankel (by Galileo) does not yet hold an entry at Epsom but she is engaged in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. However, such was the manner in which she won today's trial, it would be no surprise to see her supplemented for the Oaks or Irish Oaks. She got off the mark at the third attempt as a juvenile, beating today's third Fanny Logan by a neck in a mile novice event at Yarmouth in October, and we learned little from her 14-length drubbing of a single opponent in a ten-furlong Chelmsford handicap last month.
Mehdaayih was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd, she is a half-sister to a couple of multiple winners out of Sayyedati Symphony (by Gone West), and her dam is a half-sister to the talented Almushahar (by Silver Hawk) who won a Newmarket maiden and the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster but was not seen out again. Sayyedati (by Shadeed), the grandam of today's rising star, was an outstanding racehorse who won the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois, Group 1 1000 Guineas, Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and closed out her track career with a third-place finish to Ridgewood Pearl in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park. A half-sister to the four-time middle-distance Group 1 scorer Golden Snake (by Danzig), the Clive Brittain-trained mile champion was out of Dubian (by High Line) who had been third in both the Oaks and Irish Oaks before going on to Group 1 success in Italy. Fourth dam Melodina (by Tudor Minstrel) was a juvenile pattern winner that went on to be placed in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, fifth dam Rose Of Medina (by Never Say Die) was an Oaks-placed winner of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes and Princess Royal Stakes, sixth dam Minaret (by Umidwar) won the Fern Hill Handicap, and seventh dam Neolight (by Nearco) was a classic-placed winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes and Coronation Stakes as well as being a half-sister to the brilliant Tudor Minstrel (by Owen Tudor). Those stars are obviously too remote to Mehdaayih to be having any impact on the racing ability that she has, but they do illustrate the strong roots from which she has come. She is a fascinating prospect who could be anything. |
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