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Exciting performers for the famous blue and white silks

Saturday’s action at Newbury featured two dazzling performances by Shadwell-owned horses, led by the dominant victory of AL AASY in the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes (registered as the Aston Park Stakes).

The William Haggas-trained four-year-old cruised into contention in the competitive 1m4f event and barely had to break sweat to register a four-length success under Shadwell’s retained jockey Jim Crowley.

This was a third Group 3 win for AL AASY – a beautiful dark bay by SEA THE STARS, also sire of the late Sheikh Hamdan’s wonderful racemare TAGHROODA – as he also took the John Porter Stakes last month and the Bahrain Trophy in July 2020. He is set for Group 1 company now.

William Haggas said: “AL AASY won very well and liked the ground. He settled well and I can’t really say anything else because he looks like that at home. He’s a talented horse. He’s done well this year and we’ll find out in the Coronation Cup, which is where he’ll run next.

“He’s in everything and we’ve put him in the Arc, but that’s a long way to go. I fancy a mile-two, but I’m not sure, and there are some fantastic races at a mile and a half. If he’s going to run in the Arc he’ll need a break and I wasn’t planning to run him after the John Porter until Epsom, but he was too well.”

Later on the Newbury card, Shadwell’s homebred three-year-old filly ESHAADA stamped her Classic credentials with a determined victory in the Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial.

The Roger Varian-trained bay stayed on really well to score by a neck in the often informative race, which has been won by the high-class QUEEN POWER and SEA OF CLASS in its last two renewals. This was only her second start after winning a Nottingham maiden last November, so there should be plenty of improvement from her still to come.

ESHAADA hails from the second crop of Shadwell’s homebred champion sprinter MUHAARAR. She is the second new stakes winner in the space of a week for the sire, who stands at Nunnery Stud this year at a fee of just £10,000, after ALBAFLORA won the Listed Buckhounds Stakes by seven lengths on the previous Saturday.

ESHAADA is a half-sister to smart four-time winner MUTAMAASIK out of MUHAWALAH, a winning NAYEF full-sister to Group 1 winner and accomplished Derrinstown Stud sire TAMAYUZ.

Nunnery Stud stalwart NAYEF, a son of Sheikh Hamdan’s exceptional racemare HEIGHT OF FASHION, also featured as the damsire of PALACE PIER, the convincing winner of the Lockinge Stakes, the feature race of the Newbury card on which AL AASY and ESHAADA won.