IN the year when the Aga Khan Studs is celebrating a century of success, how wonderful it was to see a homebred group race triumph on the weekend of Ireland’s premier classic meeting at the Curragh for the team.

Shartash demonstrated grit and determination, along with an impressive turn of foot, to win the Group 2 Gain Railway Stakes on Saturday, and this was a first success for H.H. the Aga Khan in the prestigious two-year-old contest. Two of the last three winners of the race have gone on to enjoy Group 1 successes.

The Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) colt defeated the more experienced Ballydoyle runner Blackbeard, and in doing so became the first Aga Khan juvenile to demonstrate such early season success since the great Siyouni. The colt’s trainer Johnny Murtagh said: “These colours have been very lucky to me throughout my career. We’ve had some great days. For His Highness to send us horses was special and to win the Railway Stakes is a great day for the team. He’s a nice horse who’s improving all the time and he had to be brave today.

“Ben [Coen, jockey] said he has a good turn of foot and all the good ones have a turn of foot. Ben said he wasn’t in a great position but when he got into the gap he quickened up well. After he won in Naas we thought this race would really suit him well. We freshened him up and it’s great when it all comes together. He’s in the [Group 1 Keeneland] Phoenix Stakes and could go there.”

Blandford Stakes

Shartash is the second foal and first winner out of the Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) mare Shamreen. She only raced 11 times and won five, three of which were group races at the Curragh. She was successful in two editions of the Group 2 Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes and in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes.

Shamreen’s three-year-old Shamiyana (Sea The Stars) has run six times, being in the frame on four occasions, and she has a yearling colt by Siyouni (Pivotal) and a filly foal by Lope De Vega (Shamardal).

Shamreen and the Grade 3 Canadian winner Shahroze (Holy Roman Emperor) are among the five winners from Shareen (Bahri), and she won half of her eight starts, notably taking the honours in a Group 3 at Gowran Park. Shareen’s best sibling was the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Sharestan (Shamardal).