Category Archives: Al Maher

Al Maher gets another SW over a mile in Villiers

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All Legal’s (Al Maher – Azardi, by Desert Prince) late drive to the line continued the remarkable run  for Emirates Park stallion Al Maher (Danehill – Show Dancing, by Don’t Say Halo) with milers in the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm.

Al Maher recorded two of his three stakes victories over 1600 metres in the 2005 Group 1 Australian Guineas and 2004 Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes, leaving an example for his progeny to follow in their careers.

All Legal’s latest success, the Kevin Moses-trained gelding’s second stakes victory, was the ninth stakes win over 1600 metres for Al Maher’s progeny, representing a third of the stallion’s stakes tally.

All Legal was the longest of Al Maher’s three runners in the market for the Villiers Stakes while the sire’s six-year-old daughter Cabernet (Al Maher – Golden Weekend, by Nine Carat) was a clear second favourite behind the Darley representative Galah (Redoute’s Choice – Rinky Dink, by Distorted Humor).

Galah never featured as a serious winning chance in the $175,000 feature but Cabernet and All Legal raced together midfield before launching their bids for victory at the top of the straight. Cabernet weakened to miss a place in the final 100 metres but All Legal prevailed by a nose in a thrilling duel with Alma’s Fury (Refuse To Bend – Dance Attendance, by What A Guest) to give Moses a reward for persevering with the six-year-old after vets recommending his retirement.

“Around 12 months ago, he had problems and I had a vet look at him and he had five chips in the knee,” Moses said.

“He said `you might as well just retire him’, but I got a second opinion and the other vet said he could operate. And this is what he’s come back as.”

Moses purchased All Legal for just $25,000 out of the Lyndhurst Stud draft at the 2008 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale but the game performer has now won more than $590,000 from his 33 starts, which includes another stakes victory in the Listed Hawkesbury Ladies’ Day Cup (1300m) in the spring.

All Legal’s dam Azardi (Desert Prince – San Century, by Centaine) was a maiden after five starts but he is a half-sister to stakes winners Spurcent (Flying Spur – San Century, by Centaine), Bangalore Bullet and top Hong Kong performer Glorious Days (both Hussonet – San Century, by Centaine).

Al Maher commanded a $16,500 service fee for his 2012 book of mares.

Group 2 success for Al Maher mare

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Lightly-raced mare Oasis Bloom (Al Maher – Nawadder, by Marscay) became the 15th Stakes winner for Emirates Park Stud stallion Al Maher (Danehill – Show Dancing, by Don’t Say Halo) with her victory in Saturday’s Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.

The imposing four-year-old had only had four starts before her Stocks Stakes success but was good enough to win at Flemington during the 2011 Melbourne Cup carnival at her second start to convince her trainers Peter Morgan and Craig Widdison she was a Stakes-class mare.

Glen Boss made a midrace move to take Oasis Bloom forward once a slow speed slackened even further a third of the way through the $220,000 feature before hitting the lead on approaching the home turn.

Oasis Bloom refused to wilt in the straight with the $75,000 2010 Magic Millions Yearling Sale purchase getting home by a short neck over the consistent mare Spirit Song.

The well-related Chateau Margaux (Redoute’s Choice – Kylikwong, by Kingston Rule) finished third for the Peter Moody stable.

Oasis Bloom is the second Stakes winner foaled by the Stakes-placed mare Nawadder (Marscay – Purpose, by Vain). Underestimation (Al Samer – Nawadder, by Marscay) won the Listed ANZAC Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington in his two-year-old season.

 

Unchain My Heart too strong in Bagot

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Unchain My Heart (5 m Al Maher – Fly By Night, by Prince Of Birds) showed a ton of grit to land her first black-type win in the $150,000 Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on Monday.

After a rail hugging ride from Dwayne Dunn, Unchain My Heart went past the long time leader Light Vision early in the straight and then outstayed Prussian Officer (King Of Prussia) to score by three-quarters of a length with Viva Delspec (Savoir Vivre) in third.

“It is great to see an honest mare like this get the black type,” Hayes said of the Prime Thoroughbreds’ syndicated mare. “It is the biggest win of her career so I’m really excited for the owners.¬†When you have got a horse that can stay you can surprisingly step up in class pretty quickly and she has done a fantastic job.”

Unchain My Heart is the 11th stakes winner for the Emirates Park-based Al Maher, a Gr 1 winning three-quarter brother to Redoute’s Choice.

Al Maher produces Wyong double

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A win for the well-bred Al Manara (Al Maher – Cloudy Skies, by Sadler’s Wells) headlined a double for the Emirates Park Stud stallion Al Maher (Danehill – Show Dancing, by Don’t Say Halo) at Sunday’s Wyong meeting.

Emirates Park Stud withdrew the filly from the 2010 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old took just two starts to break her maiden status in the Trio Services Maiden Plate (1350m).

Al Manara is the fifth winner from six foals to race out of the Irish-bred mare Cloudy Skies (Sadler’s Wells – It’s In The Air, by Mr Prospector). Cloudy Skies has already produced the stakes winner Khateer (Green Desert – Cloudy Skies, by Sadler’s Wells).

Cloudy Skies is a half-sister to three northern hemisphere stakeswinners, including the French Group 2 winner Bitooh (Seattle Slew – It’s In The Air, by Mr Prospector). Cloudy Skies is also a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winner and Darley sire Storming Home (Machiavellian – Try To Catch Me, by Shareef Dancer).

Al Manara also hails from the same family as the Australian Group 1 winner Alverta (Flying Spur – Grilse, by Rahy).

The Darren Smith-trained Strathsprey (Al Maher – Bryce Canyon, by Gulch) completed a double for Al Maher with her win in the Wyong Rugby League Club (1100m).

Al Maher has produced the winners of 26 races this season.

Meethaq leads Al Maher double

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A strong win to the impressively bred Meethaq (Al Maher – My Juliet, by Canny Lad) provided the springboard for a winning double for Emirates Park Stud sire Al Maher (Danehill – Show Dancing, by Don’t Say Halo) on Wednesday.

Meethaq produced a strong finishing burst to claim the Catanach’s Jeweller’s Plate (1600m) at Caulfield. The Danny O’Brien-trained colt is a half-brother to the high-class filly Mnemosyne (Encosta De Lago – My Juliet, by Canny Lad), who won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) in 2005.

O’Brien said Meethaq’s win continued a spring preparation that started with a conference with Emirates Park Stud chief executive Trevor Lobb.

“I had a chat to Trevor Lobb early in the spring and we really thought that this spring his main target would be the Carbine Club (Stakes, G2 1600m, Derby Day),” O’Brien said.

“Today has been a nice trial for that.

“He’ll go to Flemington in two and half weeks time and it will be a nice race for him.”

Al Maher won the Carbine Club Stakes in 2004.

The Bevan Laming-trained Our Recidivist (Al Maher – Walk The Wild Side, by Snaadee) completed Al Maher’s double when the five-year-old claimed the www.brc.com.au Plate (1640m) at Doomben.

Al Maher on fire

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Emirates Park stallion Al Maher (Redoute‚Äôs Choice) enjoyed a two-state stakes double when Amaethon won yesterday’s Testa Rossa Stakes (Listed) at Caulfield and King Lionheart proved too strong for his rivals in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.

King Lionheart enjoyed a lovely run in transit, racing in second place to the home turn where he challenged Fast Clip (Snippetson), proving too strong over the concluding stages to win by a length.¬†”We got where we wanted quite easily and I knew we had a better turn of foot than Fast Clip,‚Äù winning jockey Tommy Berry said. “It worked out perfectly and when I started to serve it up to him in the straight he gave me plenty and we drew away. He‚Äôs still doing a bit wrong, he wanted to hang in the straight but he‚Äôs learning all the time.‚Äù

Trainer Gai Waterhouse said that King Lionheart will now go for the Group 1 Epsom Handicap.

Amaethon is a half-brother to Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily who collapsed and died at Flemington on Friday and is also trained  by Matthew Ellerton and Simon Zahra. Amaethon (came with a strong run in the straight to defeat First Command (Commands) by one and a quarter lengths with Phelan Ready (More Than Ready) in third.

“I suppose it‚Äôs a bit ironic, him being a half-brother to her,‚Äù an emotional Ellerton said afterwards. “I thought Chris [Symons] got a bit too far back in the run but he ended up winning really well.‚Äù

Al Maher was also represented by the first race winnar at Caulfield yesterday in the Clinton McDonald trained Lady Mahler.

Ton for Al Maher

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Emirates Park resident Al Maher (Danehill) has sired 100-plus individual winners following a run of success in the past week. According to the latest figures, Al Maher has entered into triple figures worldwide as a result of recent wins posted by his progeny as far afield as Murwillumbah, Donald and Narrandera in Australia, to Selangor in Malaysia.

Al’s Mah Daddy (3 f Whipasnipa, by More Than Ready) most likely became her sire’s 100th individual winner when winning a Maiden Plate over 1000 metres at Donald in Victoria.

Of the domestic stallions that retired to stud in 2005, only Fastnet Rock is believed to have reached the milestone of siring 100 individual winners before Al Maher.

Al Maher

Al Maher

Stakes win heads Emirates Park treble at Caulfield

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Emirates Park Stud enjoyed a treble of successes at Saturday’s Caulfield meeting with a stakes win to former resident Secret Savings (Seeking The Gold – Jurisdictional, by Damascus) the highlight of the day.

The David Brideoake-trained Dance With Her (Al Maher – Dance Hit, by Tights) won The Saturday Age Life & Style Cup (2000m) before Lady Mahler (Al Maher – Promise Me, by Lord Waverley) came from well back to win the Clamms Seafood Handicap (1100m).

Secret Flyer (Secret Savings – Lanadee, by Snaadee) came from off the pace to defeat more fancied runners in the Listed Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m). The chestnut settled fifth before unleashing his trademark finishing burst to win the $100,000 race by a length.

“He has got a lot of heart, the horse, he really has,” Young said. “What he lacks in class, he makes up for in competitive edge.”

Secret Flyer’s win was his 11th from 38 starts and his second stakes success. The rising eight-year-old presented Secret Savings with the sire’s 38th stakes win.

Secret Savings died late in 2008 after a long battle with laminitis.

Meethaq looks promising

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Emirates Park stallion Al Maher produced a beautifully bred two-year-old winner when Meethaq (Al Maher – My Juliet, by Canny Lad) won the Add Print Maiden Plate (10009m) at Monday’s Echuca meeting.

Meethaq is a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Mnemosyne (Encosta De Lago РMy Juliet, by Canny Lad). The colt was passed in for $65,000, well shy of his $200,000 reserve at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Emirates Park retained the youngster to race. Meethaq settled midfield before charging home to beat the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Hidden Symbol (Artie Schiller – Marsiliana, by Marscay) by a short neck.

Meanwhile, Vinery Stud’s sons of Southern Halo (Halo – Northern Sea, by Northern Dancer) enjoyed a double success at the Dubbo fixture on Monday with both Dubleo (Southern Halo – Secret Red, by Secretariat) and More Than Ready (Southern Halo – Woodman’s Girl, by Woodman) producing winners.

More Than Ready four-year-old Code Word (More Than Ready – Vocabulary, by Encosta De Lago) took out the Kings Hall Jewellers Handicap (1600m) for the Gerald Ryan stable to begin Vinery’s duo of winners. Secret Encounter (Dubleo – Over The Counter, by Geiger Counter) provided Dubleo’s winner when he took out the Milestone Hotel Handicap (1100m).

Group 3 quinella for Al Maher

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Popular Emirates Park stallion Al Maher (Danehill – Show Dancing, by Don’t Say Halo) produced a terrific day’s work when two of his stakes-winning progeny ran the quinella in the Group 3 R A Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville.

Al Maher had only two representatives in the $200,000 race. The David Jolly-trained Budriguez (Al Maher – Deni, by St Covet) led home the six-time stakes winner Majestic Music (Al Maher – Regal Flute, by Royal Academy) in the Lee Stakes.

Sunday’s win was Budriguez’s second stakes success from 14 starts. Budriguez won the Listed City Of Adelaide Stakes (1400m) at Morphettville on April 9 before a second placing at Group 3 level in the Easter Cup (1400m) at Caulfield on April 23.

Al Maher also had a win across the border at the Geelong Synthetic meeting in Victoria. Caulfield trainer Brendan McCarthy produced Halo Miss Maher to win the Chifley On The Esplanade Class 1 Handicap (1200m).

Local trainer Kelvin Bourke produced a winner for another Emirates Park stallion, Al Samer (Redoute’s Choice – My Lady’s Key, by Key To The Mint) when It’s No Myth (Al Samer – Limerick Lady, by Al Khawaneeg) won the GRC Functions & Event Centre Maiden Plate at the Geelong Synthetic meeting.