Full-Brother To Eqtidaar Debuts At Haydock

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a full-brother to Group 1 winner Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

2.10 Haydock, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, 6fT
MUTAANY (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) debuts for Shadwell and is a full-brother to the G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Eqtidaar (Ire) and half-brother to the G2 Hungerford S.-winning sire first-season sire Massaat (Ire). Charlie Hills, who also trained another smart half-sibling in the G3 Horris Hill S. scorer Mujbar (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), the April-foaled bay meets nine peers.

 

1.30 Yarmouth, Novice, £7,800, 2yo, 7f 3yT
ALZAHIR (FR) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is a John and Thady Gosden-trained newcomer carrying the silks of Al Wasmiyah Stud and is a half-brother to the GI Keeneland Turf Mile winner Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Charlie Appleby has won this in the last two years and saddles a duo headed by One Nation (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a homebred from the immediate family of the sire's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Wuheida (GB).

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Josh Moore In Critical Care Unit

National Hunt jockey Josh Moore remains in the critical care unit at Aintree University Hospital following a fall at Haydock on Saturday.

Moore sustained serious injuries, including a broken femur, punctured lung, broken ribs and damage to his lower back, when his mount Gleno (Ire), trained by the jockey's father Gary, fell during a steeplechase. Gleno was unhurt.

Following successful surgery on his broken leg, Moore has been placed under sedation after contracting a chest infection which is interrupting further required treatment, including a second operation on his back. 

A statement released on Wednesday by the Injured Jockeys Fund read, “Following his fall at Haydock Park on Saturday, jockey Josh Moore is in Critical Care at Aintree University Hospital.

“After successful surgery to his femur, his recovery has been made complicated by a serious chest infection which has required him to stay sedated on the ventilator and has delayed definitive treatment of his injuries.

“The specialist medical team are working hard to treat Josh, and his family remain by his bedside.”

Moore only returned to the saddle at the end of January having been sidelined since the previous October when requiring spinal surgery for fractured vertebrae sustained in a fall at Plumpton. 

Moore's two elder brothers are also jockeys, with Jamie riding over jumps and Ryan being a multiple champion jockey on the Flat. Their sister Hayley is a former amateur rider and presenter on Sky Sports Racing. 

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Storm Eunice Forces Cancellations in UK/Ire

The approach of Storm Eunice, which will impact Ireland and the United Kingdom on Friday, has caused some racecourses to cancel their cards as a precautionary measure. Fakenham was called off on Thursday due to the severe weather warnings, and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has cancelled Dundalk's Friday card, too. The storm is expected to bring high winds and, in some cases, snow.

“We discussed the situation with Jim Martin of Dundalk Stadium and Met Eireann this morning and again this afternoon and we felt with the current forecast for tomorrow it was prudent to make an early decision and cancel the fixture,” said IHRB Clerk of the Course, Brendan Sheridan via Twitter. “Many parts of the country are subject to Orange and Red Weather Warnings in the morning which would make travel unsafe and Met Eireann are also forecasting gusts with speeds in excess of 80km/h during race time.”

Kelso, one of three UK courses still set to race on Friday, will hold an inspection at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.

“We're only a yellow warning at the moment up here and we are getting nothing like the wind speeds down in England,” said clerk of the course Matthew Taylor. “Our concern would be snow more than anything and access to the racecourse maybe and the surrounding areas on high ground if they got heavy snow. We are in a trickier situation than most because it literally is just the waiting game.

“The problem as well is that the forecast is changing by the hour. We were supposed to be getting 10 centimetres of snow and then this afternoon it's changed back to rain so we don't know exactly what we're going to get.”

“We've got an 8 a.m. inspection so hopefully we can make the right call early.”

Lingfield and Southwell are both set to race as of Thursday evening, with Lingfield set to be inspected at 8 a.m. and Southwell, which is expecting 60-70mph winds, due for inspection at 10 a.m.

Kirkland Tellwright, clerk of the course at Haydock, is hoping by Saturday that the storm has weakened in advance of the course's Saturday meeting.

He said, “The main concern has been wind, which would be a problem on a raceday but shouldn't be the day before. There will be a lot of damage to repair, no doubt. Saturday is expected to be blustery, gusts of wind and more rain. Having walked the course a couple of times today, I'm pretty optimistic we'll get through.

“The hurdle course is heavy, soft in places, and is not in a bad place. The chase course is heavy, and very heavy in one or two places so we might be bypassing them. I've taken the second fence out in the back straight mainly as a precaution because it gives us more options in terms on how we get past that location.”

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Shamardal’s Emaraaty Ana Prevails In Sprint Cup Thriller

It was tight at the end of Saturday's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock, with Andrea Atzeni celebrating a black-type treble on the day on Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) who denied Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) in a photo. Revived of late, the 5-year-old who had been second in the five-furlong G1 Nunthorpe S. at York Aug. 20 tanked along early off the pace but had plenty left to take over approaching the final furlong. Clinging on late as the even-money favourite found his stride under a Tom Marquand drive, the line came in time for the 11-1 shot who held a short-head verdict there, with Chil Chil (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) 3/4 of a length away in third. “He deserves it–we've started riding him patiently and the horse has come alive for doing that,” trainer Kevin Ryan said. “I've had huge faith in the horse and I'm delighted he's done it. He's as good a horse as I've trained–his work in a morning is brilliant and all my team at home have done a great job.”

Emaraaty Ana's future was already bright as he landed York's G2 Gimcrack S. three years ago, but after a flirtation with the mile Classics the following Spring he gradually slid into relative obscurity. By the time the decision was made to geld following his last-of-eight in the G1 Nunthorpe S. last August, the bay was already something of a forgotten horse but on his return this year had a clean slate to work from. Positive tactics, which had been employed in the 2019 G1 2000 Guineas, were again used for his first five starts this term beginning with an underwhelming second in Doncaster's Listed Cammidge Trophy Mar. 27. Third in Newmarket's G3 Abernant S. Apr. 15, he was dropped from six furlongs to five for the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket May 1 but the result was the same as he wound up at the bottom of the trifecta once again before trailing in seventh and 11th behind Starman in York's G2 Duke of York S. May 12 and in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket July 10.

It was only when connections opted to stop trying to force the issue and give him a chance in a five-furlong Hamilton conditions race at the end of last month that the real Emaraaty Ana stepped forward on the slick summer surface he needs. Visibly revitalised by the switch to hold-up tactics and a soaring sense of belief, he got closest to the flying Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) in the Nunthorpe with the likes of Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) and Suesa (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) behind so it was a surprise to see double-figure odds freely available here. Still tending to over-race despite the customary generosity of Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) up ahead and the more immediate target of last year's G1 Middle Park S. hero Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), he was able to capitalise on Starman's “flat spot” to get first run on the favourite and get to the post in the nick of time.

“He was a great 2-year-old and he lost his way a little bit. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has been very patient,” Kevin Ryan said. “We were riding him wrong. This is his trip. Last year he was a little bit disappointing, but he has come back to this level and I've had every belief in this horse. I always thought he would get back to the top level. I would say we would go for the Breeders' Cup. I can't see why not, as he would be tailor-made for it as they would go a fast pace on fast ground.”

Atzeni, who had earlier partnered the exciting juvenile Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to win the Listed Ascendant S. for these connections before doubling up on the G3 Superior Mile winner Artistic Rifles (Ire) (War Command), was ending a relative drought at this level. “He's a horse that everyone kept faith with throughout his career and I can't tell you what it means to me to win another group 1, it's been a couple of years since the last one,” he said. “Things can go a bit quiet, but it's all about the horses and I had a very good one underneath me here. He is a horse that we usually ride fairly forward, but as he ran so well in the Nunthorpe giving him a chance we wanted to do the same. He travelled like the best horse in the race and when I let him down he picked up good. To be fair to the horse, when the second horse came to him he found a little bit more and held on.” Starman's trainer Ed Walker said, “There are no excuses, it's disappointing.”

Given that Emaraaty Ana's dam Spirit of Dubai (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) signed off her career with success in the 12-furlong Listed Princess Royal S., it is no surprise that Kevin Ryan had the Guineas in mind but this is clearly a runner who is defying his pedigree. Spirit of Dubai is kin to another middle-distance performer in the G3 Prix Corrida and G3 Prix de Flore winner and stakes producer Trumbaka (Ire) (In the Wings {GB}), while this is the family of the G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Alexandrie (Val de l'Orne {Fr}). She is the dam of five black-type winners headed by the G1 Prix du Jockey Club-placed sire Poliglote (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and is also the second dam of the GI Eddie Read H. scorer Special Ring (Nureyev). Spirit of Dubai's as-yet unnamed 2-year-old filly by Ribchester (Ire) was bought by Nigel Tinkler Racing and Jamie Piggott for 140,000gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.

Saturday, Haydock, Britain
BETFAIR SPRINT CUP S.-G1, £275,000, Haydock, 9-4, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:09.10, g/f.
1–EMARAATY ANA (GB), 129, g, 5, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Spirit of Dubai (Ire) (SW-Eng), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Questina, by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: Soviet Squaw, by Nureyev
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Kevin Ryan; J-Andrea Atzeni. £162,800. Lifetime Record: 19-5-2-5, $586,617. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Starman (GB), 129, c, 4, Dutch Art (GB)–Northern Star (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O/B-David Ward (GB); T-Ed Walker. £61,573.
3–Chil Chil (GB), 126, m, 5, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Tiana (GB), by Diktat (GB). (500,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-A S Denniff (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £30,773.
Margins: NO, 3/4, HD. Odds: 11.00, 1.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Happy Romance (Ire), Art Power (Ire), Creative Force (Ire), Garrus (Ire), Summerghand (Ire), Supremacy (Ire), Glen Shiel (GB), Nando Parrado (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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