30 July 2020

Mohaather firing on all cylinders following Sussex triumph

30 July 2020

Mohaather was reported to be in rude health the day after his thrilling victory in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Following a luckless run in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot last month, Marcus Tregoning’s stable star returned to the Berkshire circuit to run out a brilliant winner of the Group Two Summer Mile – earning him a return to the highest level on Wednesday.

The Group One contest was billed as one of the races of the season with Queen Anne winner Circus Maximus and the winners of both the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket (Kameko) and the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Siskin) in opposition.

However, Mohaather displayed thrilling acceleration to win a shade cosily in the hands of Jim Crowley – and connections could not be happier with how he has taken his exertions.

That turn of foot he has is pretty exceptional

Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, said: “Marcus tells me he has come out of the race all guns blazing, which is great.

“That turn of foot he has is pretty exceptional. For him to switch wide, get himself balanced and then pick up Group One horses like he did was very impressive, I thought.

“I’m delighted for Marcus and his team as they’ve done a great job with him.”

While in no rush to commit to future targets, Gold confirmed both the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October and the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland the following month will come under consideration.

He added: “I think we’ll just take stock of the situation and see how the horse comes out of the race.

“At the back end of the year you’ve got the QEII and he’s now qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, if Sheikh Hamdan decides he wants to.

“There aren’t a lot of options coming up, so we’ll take a bit of time and see.”

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