Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, expects Royal Ascot and July Cup hero Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) to be retired at the end of the season.
The Charlie Hills-trained 3-year-old was a brilliant winner of the inaugural G1 Commonwealth Cup last month and added another Group 1 prize to his CV with a last-gasp triumph in a thriller on the July Course at Newmarket last weekend.
“The problem with him is he's very important to the breeding operation,” Gold told Racing UK. “Sheikh Hamdan is mad about his breeding and we've been looking for a horse like this for a very long time–a well-bred, good-looking horse with speed.
Gold continued, “He's won two Group 1 as a 3-year-old and a group race as a 2-year-old–he's exactly what we need at the stud. If I was a betting man I would say he'll probably be at stud [next year], but let's see what happens for the rest of the year. It's obviously Sheikh Hamdan's decision.”
The G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville remains Muhaarar's most likely next objective.
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