Newbury Saturday

TRAINER Marcus Tregoning had the misfortune to see the career of stable-star Mohaather cut short by injury last month, but he seems to have uncovered another special colt from the same source in the shape of Alkumait (Jim Crowley).

He gained a second career success when running out an impressive winner of the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at the rewarding SP of 8/1.

Despite carrying his head quite high, he produced a telling burst to get the better of race favourite Fivethousandtoone (Andrew Balding/Silvestre de Sousa), and was a comfortable three parts of a length to the good at the line.

Prix Morny third Rhythm Master (Richard Fahey/P J McDonald) filled the same spot again, albeit beaten three-and a-half lengths by the exciting winner.

Like Mohaather, Alkumait is a son of Showcasing out of a four-year-old five-furlong winner, and he appears to have the makings of a top-class performer in time. His high head carriage is rather ungainly, and he was skittish to post but it’s to his credit that he settled well and applied himself professionally in the race itself, and Tregoning is patience personified, so it’s unlikely his quirks will hold him back in the long term.

Close eye

Tregoning keeps a close eye – or ear – on the colt, as he explained after the race. “He’s stabled right next door to my house. If he moves, like Mohaather did through the night, it wakes me up, but it is worth it,” he said. “There is a lot of speed on the dam’s side, but if we are allowed, and everybody agrees, we will try to mould him to at least get seven furlongs and then after that we will see.

“If you could get him to drop in and settle, like he did today, there is every chance he will get a little bit further; we could always come back to six furlongs.

“He was a little bit hairy going down to the start and a couple of times during the race the wind was blowing a bit and this little horse could hear the covers rattling. It’s just a thing he has to get used to.

“He couldn’t have been more smooth through the race, and I think he is pretty useful. He is well made and has the same power down the saddle that Mohaather did – he is very similar.

“Sheikh Hamdan may want to put him away after today, but I’d be keen to run him in Group 1 company before the end of the season if there is a suitable race.”

Elarqam puts best foot forward

THE handsome Elarqam (Mark Johnston/Jim Crowley) is a very smart performer when things drop right, and he was on song in the Group 3 Legacy Cup, where the 2/1 second choice made all the running, and stayed on stoutly to deny Desert Encounter (David Simcock/William Buick) a third win in the Group 3 contest, scoring by a length and a half, with favourite Extra Elusive (Roger Charlton/Hollie Doyle) beaten a total of two and three quarter lengths in third in his bid for a hat-trick, and carrying a penalty for his win in the Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor.

Elarqam had started favourite for the Group 2 York Stakes last month – a race he won well in 2019 – but he produced a lacklustre display, as he had in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. This was much more like it from the son of Frankel, whose effort in splitting Lord North and Telecaster in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a better indication of his talent.

Trainer Mark Johnston summed up his in-and-out season afterwards, saying: “It is great to see him back winning. If you look at his form last year, you would have said he should be winning a Group 1 this year and unfortunately it hasn’t fallen his way. We were running out of opportunities and that is why we came here.

“With a pedigree like his, you would expect to see him get a Group 1 for a good stud job. That is why it has been frustrating.

“If you think back to his best run this year at Haydock, given another 100 yards he would have got back up. He just gets a bit idle in front and needs something to aim at.”

Lazuli sparkles

The pecking order behind Battaash for the five-furlong sprinters is far from clear, and Lazuli (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) was the latest to throw his hat in the ring by landing quite a stylish triumph in the Group 3 World Trophy Sprint, the 5/2 shot showing too much in the finish for Tiz Marvellous (Clive Cox/Adam Kirby), with race favourite Equilateral (Charlie Hills/Hollie Doyle) travelling best, but rather typically flattering to deceive with his finishing effort. The distances were a length and a nose.

Winning rider William Buick feels that his mount has more to offer at the minimum trip, saying: “He looked very promising at Sandown earlier in the year, then he disappointed there next time for no real apparent reason.

“He ran well in Deauville last time over six, which probably just stretches him slightly. Back to five today, conditions were ideal for him as it was good, fast ground.

“I think the day at Sandown he did boss the field, but clocked a good time and he gave me a great feel. He showed today he can fight for it as well against older sprinters.”