Sheikh's 9.7mill horse

[Echo Farm]

for what it's worth:

NEWBURY
18 May 2007
Good To Soft

4:40 Peninsula Business Services Maiden Stakes (Class 4) (3yo) (1m2f6y) 1m2f

[off 4:41] £6,477.00, £1,927.00, £963.00, £481.00

Draw TRAINER Age Wgt JOCKEY SP OR TS RPR

1 Ajhar (USA) 4 M P Tregoning 3 9-3 Pat Dobbs 7/4 82 — —
2 ½ Jalil (USA) 8 Saeed Bin Suroor 3 9-3 L Dettori 6/4F — —
3 4 Galianna (IRE) 9 Pat Eddery 3 8-12 Richard Hughes 12/1 — —
4 ½ Ancient Culture 13 Sir Michael Stoute 3 9-3 Jamie Spencer 13/2 — —
5 nk Easterly Breeze (IRE) 3 W R Muir 3 9-3 Sam Hitchcott 33/1 — —
6 3 Praxiteles (IRE) 7 Sir Michael Stoute 3 9-3 J D Smith 12/1 — —
7 2½ Make Haste (IRE) 1 R Charlton 3 9-3 Steve Drowne 16/1 — —
8 1½ Kings Story (IRE) 2 W R Swinburn 3 9-3 Adam Kirby 66/1 — —
9 ½ Fraternal 16 R Charlton 3 9-0 Richard Kingscote(3) 66/1 — —
10 4 Espoir De Lumiere 12 C F Wall 3 8-12 Ian Mongan 100/1 — —
11 shd Beauchamp Viking 5 G A Butler 3 9-3 Stephen Carson 66/1 — —
12 4 Just An Angel (IRE) 15 A P Jarvis 3 8-12 Fergus Sweeney 100/1 — —
13 10 Grand Vizier (IRE) 11 C F Wall 3 9-3 George Baker 100/1 — —
14 13 Best Of Gold (IRE) 14 B J Meehan 3 9-3 Paul Eddery 100/1 — —
15 3½ Mazoran (FR) 6 D G Bridgwater 3 9-3 Vince Slattery 150/1 — —


15 ran TIME 2m 9.39s (slow by 5.39s) TOTAL SP 123%
NON RUNNER: Pathos (GER)
1st OWNER: Hamdan Al Maktoum BRED: Shadwell Farm LLC TRAINER: M P Tregoning
2nd OWNER: Godolphin
3rd OWNER: Pat Eddery Racing (Polygamy)

TOTE WIN £3.00 PL £1.30, £1.40, £2.70; Ex £6.20; CSF £4.75

My Notes
An interesting maiden featuring the reappearance of the $9.7m yearling Jalil backed up by several other well-bred sorts.
In the event very few got into the race from off the pace and the race developed into a match in the last furlong and a half, with the well-backed AJHAR putting his experience to good use to beat the favourite Jalil, who had tried to make all.

Analysis
Ajhar had been runner-up in all three of his juvenile starts, but the step up in trip was expected to suit this half-brother to several middle-distance performers, and with the rail to help he outstayed Jalil, who made the running and appeared to be travelling well enough, but did not respond immediately when headed.

Comments In Running
The winner sets the standard but is not that big so is likely to have to go up in class rather than carry big weights in handicaps, while the latter should be capable of winning races, but his price tag will continue to be a millstone for his reputation.

http://www.racingpost.co.uk/horses/p...date=2007-5-18


This came from before the race:

After terrestrial coverage ends, the same stable's Jalil (4.40) will make a second stab at justifying his yearling sale price of $9.7m. He can't win that back today but even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/horserac...082469,00.html