Oasis Dream’s Muhaarar Grinds Out Maurice de Gheest Victory

Sunday, Deauville, France
LARC PRIX MAURICE DE GHEEST-G1, €350,000, DVL, 8-9, 3yo/up, 6 1/2fT, 1:15.33, gd.
1–MUHAARAR (GB), 123, c, 3, by Oasis Dream (GB)
1st Dam: Tahrir (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Linamix (Fr)
2nd Dam: Miss Sacha (Ire), by Last Tycoon (Ire)
3rd Dam: Heaven High (GB), by High Line (GB)
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (GB); T-Charles Hills; J-Paul Hanagan. €199,990. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, 10-6-0-3, €1,084,230. *1/2 to Tamaathul (GB) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), GSP-UAE, $339,790. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Esoterique (Ire), 125, m, 5, Danehill Dancer (Ire)–Dievotchka (GB), by Dancing Brave. O-Baron Edouard de Rothschild; B-Ecurie de Meautry (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €80,010.
3–Gordon Lord Byron (Ire), 128, g, 7, Byron (GB)–Boa Estrela (Ire), by Intikhab. (€2,000 2yo ‘08 GONO1; €5,000 RNA Ylg ‘09 GOFORB). O-Dr Cyrus Poonawalla & Morgan J Cahalan; B-Roland H Alder (IRE); T-Tom Hogan. €40,005.
Margins: HF, HF, 1. Odds: 1.00, 4.80, 13.00.
Also Ran: Watchable (GB), Son Cesio (Fr), Majestic Queen (Ire), Ivawood (Ire), Coulsty (Ire), Gammarth (Fr), Fontanelice (Ire), Robert Le Diable (Fr), Noozhoh Canarias (Spa). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Scintillating in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot June 19, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) had to work harder to win the G1 July Cup at Newmarket July 11 and it was another case of grafting it out at Deauville on Sunday as the homebred overcame adversity to prevail in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. Keen early racing prominently, the even-money favorite was then pushed along by Paul Hanagan passing halfway and it was only in the final 150 meters that he managed to overhaul Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and assert for a half-length success, after which is was revealed that he had lost a left front shoe during the race. Connections are hoping to try again at a mile before his imminent retirement at the end of the year, with his prior attempt at that distance resulting in an eighth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamp May 10. Trainer Charlie Hills said, “He’s a nice tough little horse who never runs a bad race and takes his racing very well. He battled well to the line and we are all convinced that he stays a mile. He had a bad draw in the French Guineas, so we are tempted to go for the Breeders’ Cup Mile if Sheikh Hamdan agrees. In the meantime, the obvious race is the [Sept. 5] G1 Haydock Sprint Cup, with possibly either the G1 Prix de la Foret [at Longchamp Oct. 4] or Ascot’s G1 British Champions Sprint [Oct. 17] beforehand. I doubt he’ll stay in training at four, as it’s Sheikh Hamdan’s policy to retire horses like him at the end of their three-year-old career.”