14 May 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, May 14, 2023, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). - The odds-on favourite of the €650,000 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1), which was delayed by the withdrawal of Knight (Mehmas), American Flag (Wootton Bassett) missed his start and travelled at the rear. He finished well but still failed to reach the podium.
The victory went after a good fight with the outsider Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Muhaarar), who overcame the leader Isaac Shelby (Night of Thunder), who had just won the Greenham Stakes (Gr3) over 7 furlongs at Newbury. The winner, for his part, had just finished second in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3), more than two lengths behind American Flag. Only a short neck separated the first two at the finish, while the third-placed Breizh Sky (Pedro the Great) finished two lengths down the field, a head in front of the favourite and a good Valimi (Teofilo).
Trained at Chantilly by Andreas Schütz for Jaber Abdullah, who also bred him through Rabbah Bloodstock, Marhaba Ya Sanafi did not go to the sale, unlike his 4-years-old brother Mofridge (Iffraaj), sold by Godolphin for £1,000 at Tattersalls after winning a race in Germany.
A filly by Acclamation was born in 2021.
Marhaba Ya Sanafi is entered in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club.
What they said...
Andreas Schutz (the trainer of Marhaba Ya Sanafi, 1st) - Chantilly (Oise)
"I’m delighted! I was expecting a great performance from him, but relative to finishing in the top five [rather than winning]. I was also hoping for more rain. He had run well in the Prix de Fontainebleau, and I had expected him to improve. The colt had worked well in the company of other of my horses, but I don't necessarily have much to go on in the morning. I have won a lot of classics in Germany, so I was able to have a calm outlook going into the race. It’s down to my experience! I have been in France for seven years, and I hope that this victory will mark a new turning point in my career. The colt is entered in the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club, which seems like the logical next step."
Brian Meehan the trainer of Isaac Shelby, 2nd) – trained in Britain
"We were a bit frustrated by the lack of pace, especially in the first part of the race. It wasn't fast enough for him, but he ran very well. I'm delighted for the horse, for his owner and for the team at home. He hasn't shown the full extent of his talent yet. The best is yet to come, especially in races where there will be more pace. We are thinking of Royal Ascot, and in particular, the St James's Palace Stakes for him."
Alessandro Botti (the trainer of Breizh Sky, 3rd) - Chantilly (Oise)
"It was great! Before the race, I was still worried about the draw. But Maxime Guyon rode a great race. In the false straight, I could see that he had some energy to spend. When Maxime pulled him out for his challenge, he was still far off the pace, and so he couldn't make up the leeway... But he gave him a very good ride. And I think that the part of the track, towards the inside, was riding quicker. As things stand, he's scheduled to go to Royal Ascot for a 1,400m race on the straight course. We will try to prepare him for that. It will depend on how the horse recovers."
Yann Barberot (the trainer of American Flag, 4th) - Deauville (Calvados)
"The fact that he missed the break obviously cost him dearly. He had a good run through to the straight, but he very quickly had difficulty in raising his game. He had easily beaten the winner in the main prep race [Prix de Fontainebleau]. It was an off day. I don't have any explanations in the heat of the moment."
Jean-Claude Rouget (the trainer of Valimi, 5th, et Kubrick, 7th) - Deauville (Calvados)
"Valimi is a colt with a lot of speed. I think he got beaten due to the fact that he didn’t see the trip. When the first and second came to challenge him, he lost a bit of heart, and that's what cost him third place. We will step him back in trip. It is not impossible that he will go straight to the Prix Jean Prat, which is at Deauville, where he is trained. As for Kubrick, I think it's a question of the ground. The track seems to be very testing. In future, we will race him on better ground."