WHEN Maher Ebrahim Lutfalla was interviewed by Nick Luck at the draw for the US$1 million H.H. The Emirs Trophy in Qatar last week, he said he was confident that the seven-year-old Chopin would give a good account of himself.

This was overlooked by many in the room who felt that the challenger from Bahrain was likely to be out-classed by the international field gathered for the valuable purse. The racecard on the day noted that he ‘wouldn’t be far off [being] one of the best on [the] pick of European form’ and that he was a real money-spinner in Bahrain following his purchase for just 9,000gns at the 2015 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.