Muhaarar off the mark at stud with impressive debut winner

Exceptional sprinter Muhaarar opened his account at stud on Wednesday when Shadwell homebred Raheeq scorched to a four and a half length debut success over five and a half furlongs in the Boniti/British EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes at Bath.

Raheeq was waited with by jockey Jim Crowley, but having led two furlongs out she readily drew clear in impressive fashion. Her rider said afterwards: "She's a filly we've always liked and she was very professional. She has lots of speed and is potentially smart."

View full result and replay of Raheeq's victory

The speedy youngster has a pedigree that screams precocity. Not only is she by a Gimcrack Stakes winner, but the Roger Varian-trained filly, one of 105 juveniles in her sire's first crop, is the sixth foal out of Shimah, a daughter of Storm Cat who beat Chintz - better known as the dam of The Gurkha - to land the Listed Saoire Stakes at two.

Shimah, a half-sister to Haatef, is now the dam of four winners, and has already clicked to good effect with Muhaarar's sire Oasis Dream to produce the Listed-winning two-year-old Mushir.

The 13-year-old Shimah has a Kingman yearling filly and produced a colt by Muhaarar earlier this year.

Although it may have taken longer than some expected for Muhaarar to post his first winner, there is almost certainly plenty more to come from his debut two-year-olds given they were bred from a book that contained 72 black type performers (56 per cent), 53 stakes winners (41 per cent) and 31 mares (24 per cent) who were successful at Group level themselves.

Among the most notable names with a Muhaarar two-year-old to run this year are: globetrotting superstar Alexander Goldrun (a colt named Khaalis); Izzi Top (filly named Bizzi Lizzi); Prudenzia, dam of Chicquita and Magic Wand (colt named Enemy) and Sultanina (filly named Manzanilla).

His sons and daughters also proved in high demand at the latest round of yearling sales, with his progeny results headed by a 925,000gns half-sister to Fairyland bought by Shadwell.

Muhaarar, who was crowned European champion sprinter in 2015 following victories in the Commonwealth Cup, July Cup, Prix Maurice de Gheest and British Champions Sprint Stakes, covered a full book of mares for the fourth consecutive season in 2019.

The son of Oasis Dream has stood at Nunnery Stud at a fee of £30,000 since his retirement from racing.

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