‘Lively’ Saudi Cup Hero Mishriff Could Be Aimed At Juddmonte International After Dubai

The Saudi Cup winner Mishriff – fresh from landing the world's most valuable race, – has the Juddmonte International at York as his main summer target following a return to turf in the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27.

The Juddmonte International, a Group 1 prize over 2000m (1 1/4 miles) in August, is the chief aim for the John Gosden-trained colt, in what is expected to be a busy campaign for the 4-year-old before retiring to stud at the end of the British turf season.

Mishriff, who ran down American star Charlatan with a strong late charge to win the $20 million Saudi Cup last month, will next appear in the 2400m (1 1/2 miles) Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on March 27.

He is likely to have a break after that before heading to Royal Ascot and Gosden's son Thady, who oversaw his preparation in Saudi Arabia, said: “To win a race of the caliber of The Saudi Cup was pretty wonderful for everyone involved. It was brilliant that the horse is owned by a local owner, Prince Faisal, and the home crowd were obviously thrilled.

“Charlatan had a lot more speed than us from the gate but David [Egan] gave him a brilliant ride to keep him close enough to the pace, which definitely helped.

“In America they have much shorter straights whereas in Saudi it is just one turn. They have that long, sweeping bend and then it's a long way home. Horses like Charlatan wouldn't be used to that.

“Obviously, Mishriff had a hard race in The Saudi Cup but he took the race well. Charlatan is a top-class horse so it was pretty tough running him down.

“He's been working well and he seems happy. The whole journey and the travelling hasn't taken much out of him.”

The decision to run Mishriff in the Dubai Sheema Classic instead of the Dubai World Cup means a return to turf and a first try at 2400m.

Gosden, who is to join his father on the licence at Clarehaven Stables as joint-trainer in the near future, doesn't believe the step up in distance will be a problem.

He revealed: “There's plenty of stamina in his pedigree and you'd think he might get it [the trip] on what he shows at home. The Sheema Classic is 2400m so we'll find out what we suspect but we'll know for sure afterwards.

“The dirt tracks in Saudi and Dubai are different surfaces. The turf horses seem to handle it better in Saudi so the dirt form might not necessarily translate to Meydan.”

There will be plenty of options in Europe for Mishriff during the British summer but Gosden was quick to nominate the Juddmonte International as an ideal target for the Saudi Cup hero.

He said: “The Juddmonte International is the premier 2000m race in the UK. York is a track that should suit him well as it's a nice galloping 2000m.

“With the Juddmonte link with Prince Faisal and Saudi Arabia it's another race I'm sure he'd like to target. Plenty of good horses have won it and it's been a pretty good stallion making race over the years.

“Mishriff is definitely a horse who enjoys his racing, mentally he doesn't seem to worry about it at all. He should be able to take plenty of racing this year.

“He's a pretty lively character – he definitely likes to let you know he's there but he's very straightforward in his work. When you see him on the racetrack he holds his head quite low – he gets on with it and definitely enjoys it.”

When Mishriff is next seen on track in Britain, Gosden is likely to be given official recognition for his role at his father's Newmarket stables. The 25-year-old will be joint-trainer after filling the role of assistant for the last five years.

He said: “It's been in the pipeline a little while and we were working out a good time to do it. Everything unfortunately got pushed back a bit with Covid but hopefully it will all get sorted soon.

“Things are working fairly well at the moment so hopefully we can keep on going. It's going incredibly smoothly – no speed bumps at all – and I'm obviously very fortunate to be in this position.”

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Bloodlines Presented By Mill Ridge Farm: Saudi Cup Winner Mishriff Extends Middle East’s Racing Legacy

The victory of last year's Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Mishriff (by Make Believe) in the 2021 Saudi Cup on Feb. 20 was a fascinating piece of international sporting competition, and the result highlighted a couple of interesting points.

One is that international racing has resoundingly shifted the basis and emphasis of winter racing to the warmer climates, especially those of the Middle East. The second is that one of the architects of that shift in emphasis, Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum of the UAE, has almost single-handedly also managed the continuation of one of the handsomest and most talented branches of the Mr. Prospector line.

Although neither owned nor bred by one of the Maktoum entities, Mishriff is an extension of the line descending from Mr. Prospector's elegant and highly talented son Seeking the Gold, bred and owned by Ogden Phipps and a stallion at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky for his entire career. Sheikh Mohammed bred the best son of Seeking the Gold, the once-beaten Dubai Millennium, whose nine victories included four Group 1 races: Dubai World Cup, Prince of Wales's Stakes, Prix Jacques le Marois, and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

A remarkably handsome horse who stayed 10 furlongs well, Dubai Millennium went to stud with great expectations. This exceptional animal, however, fell victim to grass sickness and died part-way through his first season at stud in 2001. He left behind only 56 foals born the next year, and yet from that small group comes the continuation of this line of Mr. Prospector.

Although the sire of several good horses from his first crop, the star was Dubawi, a winner of three Group 1 races: National Stakes at two; the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Jacques le Marois at three. Second in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II and third in the G1 Derby Stakes at Epsom, Dubawi stayed quite well, although he was a touch off his amazing sire for absolute ability.

Sent to stud at four in 2006, Dubawi has been a revelation as a stallion, siring 52 G1 winners to date and standing now for 250,000 euros (US$303,638) for a live foal. Among the stallion's G1 winners are the highweighted Ghaiyyath (Coronation Cup and Eclipse Stakes) and Too Darn Hot (Dewhurst), as well as the classic winners Night of Thunder (2,000 Guineas), New Bay (Prix du Jockey Club), and Makfi (2,000 Guineas).

The latter was rated the top 3-year-old miler in Europe in 2010 and entered stud in 2011. From Makfi's first crop came Make Believe, a smooth bay colt who won a pair of G1 races: the 2015 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) and Prix de la Foret. Those efforts were enough to give Make Believe the top ranking among the French 3-year-old colts in 2015.

The next year, however, his sire Makfi was sold to Japan. In the fall of 2016, the Japanese Bloodstock Breeders' Association announced that they had purchased Makfi to stand in Japan at the JBBA Stallion Station.

Typically, the exit abroad of a stallion when his first crop are only four is a decidedly negative sign. Makfi's top son, Make Believe, however, went to stud in 2016 and has proceeded to go from strength to greater strength.

With his first crop now four, Make Believe has sired French classic winner Mishriff, and that colt is a key to the enduring fortunes of this line because Mishriff's owner-breeder, Prince A.A. Faisal, also owned and raced Make Believe.

As a weanling, Make Believe sold to Hugo Merry for 180,000 guineas at the 2012 Tattersalls mixed sale and went into training with Andre Fabre for Prince Faisal. After winning a pair of G1s at three, Make Believe went to stud in Ireland at Ballylinch Stud, where he stands today.

Mishriff is from his sire's first crop and is the third stakes horse from three racers out of the mare Contradict, a daughter of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass (Elusive Quality). The mare's earlier produce are the listed stakes winner Orbaan (Invincible Spirit) and multiple G3-placed Momkin (Bated Breath).

Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud bred the colt in Ireland, and he is the fourth generation of the family owned by Prince Faisal. Nawara Stud bred Mishriff's third dam Rafha (Kris) from the Artaius mare Eljaazi, and the elegant chestnut won the 1990 Prix de Diane at Chantilly.

Sent to stud, Rafha produced four stakes winners, three stakes-placed performers, and a pair of high-quality stallions. First among those was the mare's fifth foal, G1 winner Invincible Spirit (Green Desert), who included Haydock's Sprint Cup among his six victories and who has become an overachieving sire in Europe as an influence for speed and durability. The less-expected sire from Rafha is Kodiac (Danehill), whose best racecourse achievement was a second in a G3 stakes but who has been a marvel at producing speed and precocity. He is the leading sire of 2-year-old winners for a single season with 61.

Two years younger than Kodiac is the now 18-year-old Acts of Grace (Bahri), a G3 stakes-winning daughter of Rafha and the dam of Contradict.

Mishriff is the last reported foal of his dam, but Contradict is in foal to the great Frankel (Galileo) for 2021.

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