Invincible Spirit’s Shalaa Earns July Spurs
Updated: July 9, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Thursday, Newmarket, Britain
ARQANA JULY S.-G2, £80,000, NEW, 7-9, 2yo, c/g, 6fT, 1:11.19, g/f.
1–#@SHALAA (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Invincible Spirit (Ire) 1st Dam: Ghurra (GSP-US, $145,494), by War Chant 2nd Dam: Futuh, by Diesis (GB) 3rd Dam: Hardship, by Drone (100,000gns Wlg ‘13 TATFOA; 170,000gns Ylg ‘14 TATOCT). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Mogeely Stud (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Robert Havlin. £45,368. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $76,608. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Steady Pace (GB), 126, c, 2, Dark Angel (Ire)–Cool Kitten (Ire), by One Cool Cat. (80,000gns Wlg ‘13 TATFOA). O-Godolphin; B-Mr T. G. Roddick (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor. £17,200.
3–Elronaq (GB), 126, c, 2, Invincible Spirit (Ire)—Cartimandua (GB), by Medicean (GB). (90,000gns Wlg ‘13 TATFOA). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Mrs F. S. Williams & Irish National Stud (GB); T-Charles Hills. £8,608.
Margins: 1, 2, NK. Odds: 14.00, 4.50, 5.50.
Also Ran: Eltezam (Ire), Orvar (Ire), Areen (Ire), Sixth Sense (Ire), Sandahl (Ire), Experto Crede (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Last of eight when green on debut in a hot conditions event at Newbury in May, Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) broke through at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile later that month and was upwardly mobile once more in Thursday’s G2 July S. at Headquarters’ second venue. Sharply into stride to race on the front end from the outset of this black-type bow, the 14-1 chance cruised to the outright lead approaching the final eighth and kept on strongly up the hill, despite drifting left under urging, to prevail by a length from Steady Pace (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), with Elronaq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) a further two lengths back in third. “Before he ran this year, we thought he was a [G2] Coventry S. horse,” said rider Robert Havlin. “Ne needed a couple of [race] days away from the yard to learn to do everything right. He put it all together today and has done it well. He traveled with a lot of ease through the race and it was just a matter of pressing the button. When he stopped quickening he started idling so he had a lot left in the tank.”