Sajjhaa emulates Ipi Tombe in Duty Free
Mar 30, 2013 13:58:30 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Mar 30, 2013 13:58:30 GMT -5
Sajjhaa emulates Ipi Tombe in Duty Free
Godolphin's Sajjhaa capped her sensational winter in Dubai by landing Saturday's Group 1, $5 million Duty Free in course-record time, extending her Meydan record to four-for-four. American hope Little Mike, the 2-1 favorite, got the uncontested early lead he wanted, only to fade in the stretch and wind up 11th.
Sajjhaa, victorious in the Group 2 Cape Verdi and Group 2 Balanchine versus distaffers earlier in the Carnival, defeated males in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta last out. By kicking through along the fence here, the 4-1 second choice became the only one besides the great Ipi Tombe in 2003 to turn the Jebel Hatta/Duty Free double in the same year.
The six-year-old mare was also giving the trainer/jockey tandem of Saeed bin Suroor and Silvestre de Sousa their second win on the card, following Cavalryman in the Group 3 Dubai Gold Cup.
As Little Mike easily strode to the fore, he was stalked by Igugu and Sajjhaa. Igugu was the first to accost the pacesetter, and the former South African Horse of the Year raised hopes of recovering her best form when striking the front. But she couldn't see her bid through. Her stablemate from the Mike de Kock yard, The Apache, was drawing up alongside her, and Sajjhaa was just beginning to deploy her formidable kick.
Taking the golden seam along the rail left open by Little Mike, Sajjhaa powered 1 3/4 lengths clear of The Apache, replicating their one-two finish in the Jebel Hatta. The daughter of King's Best zipped about nine furlongs on the turf in 1:47.93, eclipsing her own course record of 1:48.58 set in the Balanchine.
French raider Giofra performed best of the new faces by getting up for third, three-quarters of a length off The Apache. Trade Storm closed well for fourth and just missed getting third by a neck. Igugu crossed the wire in fifth and was followed home by City Style, I'm a Dreamer, Wigmore Hall, French Fifteen, Mushreq, Little Mike, Ocean Park, Fulbright and Aesop's Fables.
Sajjhaa now sports a mark of 17-8-4-0, $3,665,292. Initially trained by Michael Jarvis, Sajjhaa romped in her career debut at three, earning a tilt at the Group 1 Epsom Oaks. But the classic was a case of too much, too soon, and she was eased when soundly beaten. Sajjhaa was stronger over the second half of her 2010 campaign, capturing the Group 3 Premio Sergio Cumani and Dick Hern Fillies' Stakes and missing by a nose in the Rosemary Handicap.
Joining Godolphin for her four-year-old season in 2011, Sajjhaa was a fine runner-up effort to Midday in the Group 2 Middleton at York and later returned to the Knavesmire to take the Lyric Stakes. She raced only three times last year. After resuming with another second in the Middleton, this time to Izzi Top, Sajjhaa was not seen again until the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio in October, where she wound up fourth on heavy going. She bounced back with a strong performance in the November 10 Gillies at Doncaster, opening up a sizeable lead before being caught late by Cubanita, and then headed off to Dubai.
www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=35511&from=656
Godolphin's Sajjhaa capped her sensational winter in Dubai by landing Saturday's Group 1, $5 million Duty Free in course-record time, extending her Meydan record to four-for-four. American hope Little Mike, the 2-1 favorite, got the uncontested early lead he wanted, only to fade in the stretch and wind up 11th.
Sajjhaa, victorious in the Group 2 Cape Verdi and Group 2 Balanchine versus distaffers earlier in the Carnival, defeated males in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta last out. By kicking through along the fence here, the 4-1 second choice became the only one besides the great Ipi Tombe in 2003 to turn the Jebel Hatta/Duty Free double in the same year.
The six-year-old mare was also giving the trainer/jockey tandem of Saeed bin Suroor and Silvestre de Sousa their second win on the card, following Cavalryman in the Group 3 Dubai Gold Cup.
As Little Mike easily strode to the fore, he was stalked by Igugu and Sajjhaa. Igugu was the first to accost the pacesetter, and the former South African Horse of the Year raised hopes of recovering her best form when striking the front. But she couldn't see her bid through. Her stablemate from the Mike de Kock yard, The Apache, was drawing up alongside her, and Sajjhaa was just beginning to deploy her formidable kick.
Taking the golden seam along the rail left open by Little Mike, Sajjhaa powered 1 3/4 lengths clear of The Apache, replicating their one-two finish in the Jebel Hatta. The daughter of King's Best zipped about nine furlongs on the turf in 1:47.93, eclipsing her own course record of 1:48.58 set in the Balanchine.
French raider Giofra performed best of the new faces by getting up for third, three-quarters of a length off The Apache. Trade Storm closed well for fourth and just missed getting third by a neck. Igugu crossed the wire in fifth and was followed home by City Style, I'm a Dreamer, Wigmore Hall, French Fifteen, Mushreq, Little Mike, Ocean Park, Fulbright and Aesop's Fables.
Sajjhaa now sports a mark of 17-8-4-0, $3,665,292. Initially trained by Michael Jarvis, Sajjhaa romped in her career debut at three, earning a tilt at the Group 1 Epsom Oaks. But the classic was a case of too much, too soon, and she was eased when soundly beaten. Sajjhaa was stronger over the second half of her 2010 campaign, capturing the Group 3 Premio Sergio Cumani and Dick Hern Fillies' Stakes and missing by a nose in the Rosemary Handicap.
Joining Godolphin for her four-year-old season in 2011, Sajjhaa was a fine runner-up effort to Midday in the Group 2 Middleton at York and later returned to the Knavesmire to take the Lyric Stakes. She raced only three times last year. After resuming with another second in the Middleton, this time to Izzi Top, Sajjhaa was not seen again until the Group 1 Premio Lydia Tesio in October, where she wound up fourth on heavy going. She bounced back with a strong performance in the November 10 Gillies at Doncaster, opening up a sizeable lead before being caught late by Cubanita, and then headed off to Dubai.
www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=35511&from=656