ALTAF IMPRESSES BROWN IN GRADUATION IMPROVING HUKUM INSPIRING HIGH HOPES RAABIHAH EYES CLEOPATRE, FRENCH OAKS HAIKAL RETURNS TO TRAINING MAY RACE RESULTS
Sallam Sallam
Chad Brown-trained Shadwell homebred sophomore filly Altaf went into her one-mile maiden special weight on Saturday at Churchill Downs as one worthy of attention, being a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro switching to the dirt after a turf debut that did not go as planned. She came out of the race the star of the show, winning over the same track the Kentucky Oaks (G1) will be contested on Sept. 4.
Displaying eye-catching acceleration, the granddaughter of champion Golden Apples passed 10 horses in just over a quarter-mile, hit the front with about an eighth of a mile to go and sauntered across the line comfortably victorious under Joel Rosario.
“She showed a lot of promise in the morning, both on dirt and turf, but unfortunately her debut on the turf didn’t work out for her,” Brown said. “We put her on the dirt, over which she had trained very well, and really pointed toward this race at Churchill. She didn’t disappoint, that’s for sure. She has an exciting future.
“(Rosario) indicated that she was very professional and won with plenty in the tank,” Brown continued. “She got a lot of experience catching dirt for the first time and navigated through a little trouble there, going widest of all. The last part of the race—being geared down like that—was super-impressive and it was a sharp time, so we are very pleased. She’s a lovely filly that has come from the great breeding operation of Sheikh Hamdan and we’re very fortunate to have her in our shed row.”
The outlook for the possible luminary was not always so sparkling. Last summer, the bay filly went awry while preparing for her debut at Saratoga.
“The team at Shadwell did excellent work with her, as she got quite sick on us as a 2-year-old,” Brown explained. “She was almost ready to run on the dirt at Saratoga after she had worked extremely well out of the gate. She didn’t exit the work well and had pneumonia and had to go to the clinic. The team did a remarkable job of rehabbing her and sending her back to me this winter in fine condition. She’s never missed a beat since.”
Rick Nichols, vice president and general manager of Shadwell Farm, explained: “She came home last August due to lameness in her left hock, but once she arrived, we also found out she had pneumonia. She was treated at Rood and Riddle Clinic by Dr. Ruggles for the lameness and Dr. Barr for the pneumonia and they soon put her right. She responded very quickly to both issues and resumed training in late October.
“Altaf is a nice individual,” Nichols continued. “As a yearling, she was a big, strong filly with good bone and a good walk. Kevin Kahkola, who breaks Sheikh Hamdan’s yearlings in South Carolina, said she was always a good-minded, straight-forward filly who never did anything wrong.”
Options are aplenty at this point, with racing gradually falling into full swing. There are graded stakes to be considered, as well as allowance races for which she obviously still qualifies. Brown, America’s champion trainer the past four years, is content to take the patient approach, but also appears well aware that he has something substantial in his care.
Nichols confirmed that Altaf exited her race in “great form,” which is good news for those hoping they will see this able charge back under the Twin Spires in just over three months’ time.
IMPROVING HUKUM INSPIRING HIGH HOPES
In a mere two starts as a juvenile last year, Hukum displayed no small amount of promise. Trained by Owen Burrows, the Shadwell homebred of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum began with a third at Newbury in September astern Cherokee Trail, who would go on to finish 10th in the Saudi Derby in February. The son of Sea the Stars returned two months later on the all-weather of Kempton, closing with a superb turn-of-foot in the final furlong and defeating subsequent Al Bastakiya Trial winner Laser Show.
Given the winter off to mature, the leggy bay grandson of Breeders’ Cup winner Lahudood has come on nicely, per his conditioner, and is nearing a return. He is also one of only eight Shadwell runners with an early entry into the Epsom Investec Derby (G1).
“He was quite late as a 2-year-old and I was more than happy with his run at Newbury, always knowing seven furlongs was going to be a bit sharp for him,” Burrows said. “He took his time to get over that and that was why he wasn’t out until later on over the all-weather at Kempton. I thought he would go very close that day and for the first half of the race (before making up about eight lengths in the final 300m) I was wondering what was happening, but that’s him.
“Richard Hills was on him for a piece of work last week and he worked very similar to that,” Burrows continued. “He’s a bit laid-back and mentally needs to switch on a bit more. Then Dane O’Neill rode him on Saturday and he did look a bit sharper, so hopefully it’s just starting to happen for him. There’s a Listed race possibly pencilled in on Saturday, June 6—a race that’s just before the 2000 Guineas (G1) going a mile and two.”
Said fixture is the Newmarket Stakes (Listed) over 10 furlongs, which has been won by the likes of Hawkbill and Noble Mission in recent years and three times by Burrows’ former boss, Sir Michael Stoute.
“(Hukum) has a good mind and is quite laid-back about everything, which is a nice problem to have,” Burrows explained. “From what we saw when he won, we know the ability is in there—it’s just a case of getting it channelled out in the right direction. I don’t think we need to be going any shorter than a mile and a quarter and I have no qualms with him going a mile and a half when we need to.
“(The Derby) is the dream, as such, and he is pretty inexperienced for something like the Derby, but I’ve been fortunate enough to be associated with a few Derby horses who had similar experiences,” Burrows concluded. “If he runs well, there’s also always the possibility of Royal Ascot for the Hampton Court (G3). We’ll see how he works and go from there.”
SHADWELL
RAABIHAH EYES CLEOPATRE, FRENCH OAKS
Explosive Prix de la Seine (Listed) winner Raabihah, now a perfect two-for-two, firmly placed herself in the picture for the classic Prix de Diane (G1) (French Oaks) with a one-sided victory on May 14 at Saint-Cloud, but before she takes on the best fillies in France, she will likely have one more run.
“She has come out of the Prix de la Seine in fine shape and gives the impression she hardly had a race,” said trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. “At the moment, I am perhaps leaning toward the Prix Cleopatre (G3) for her next run, as that gives a bit more recovery time ahead of the Diane, but that is not for certain.”
Accelerating with ease to a four-length tally in the 11-furlong Prix de la Seine, she showed the same instantaneous attack as her initial run, a three-length win at Cagnes-Sur-Mer over an all-weather 10 furlongs on Jan. 23. The daughter of Sea the Stars and granddaughter of 2005 Epsom Oaks (G1) winner Eswarah leads a group of promising Shadwell sophomores under Rouget’s care, including Tawkeel, who extended her record to three-for-three on May 24 at Deauville.
“She was very backward and she first began to show something over the winter,” Rouget recollected. “It was a very nice performance when she won on debut. For those horses that don’t make it to the track at two, Cagnes offers a chance to make up for time with a view to the season ahead.
“In any case, she is among my best fillies,” Rouget concluded. “It’s great because I’ve been training for Sheikh Hamdan for a fair few years now.”
The Diane is scheduled for July 5, while the course and 10.5-furlong distance Cleopatre is on the docket for June 6.
HAIKAL RETURNS TO TRAINING
In just seven starts, Haikal has proven himself a reliable sort for Shadwell, but luck has not always been as reliable in return. A good-looking winner of the Gotham (G3) and Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct in early 2019, a hoof abscess then prevented the son of Daaher from competing in the Kentucky Derby (G1) four weeks after finishing a closing third in the Wood Memorial (G2).
The descendant of Shadwell’s champion Shadayid has raced just twice since—an unlucky runner-up effort in Gulfstream allowance company in January and fifth in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) in February. Unfortunately, he again required time off after the latter, but on Monday, May 25, returned to training at Shadwell’s Camden, South Carolina, training base.
“He jogged one mile for his first day back in training,” said Kevin Kahkola, who trains Shadwell’s young and laid-up horses at said venue before they are sent to their racecourse conditioners. “He is sound and happy and seemed happy to be back on the track.”
Rick Nichols, vice president and general manager of Shadwell’s USA operations, added: “Haikal returned to South Carolina on May 14 and has resumed training. He came out of a work in mid-March with a small chip in his right knee and surgery was done on March 19. We are glad to get him back going. He is a really good horse. It will probably take Kevin about 60 days to get him ready to head back to the races.”
Nichols confirmed that, like most of now-retired trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s former pupils, Haikal has been reallocated to seven-time champion conditioner Todd Pletcher.
