THE recent five-day Royal Ascot festival brought together some of the best horses from around the world.

Its winners came from several different countries and the victory of Free Eagle in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes was among the Irish highlights.

Another was the trio of blacktype winners at the meeting for Irish first season sire Zoffany (by Dansili), a Coolmore Stud-based Group 1 scorer.

His sons Waterloo Bridge and Washington DC won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes and Listed Windsor Castle Stakes respectively, and his Richard Hannon-trained daughter Illuminate took the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

The 2015 festival also saw a new innovation, one that is to be applauded as a much-needed addition to the racing calendar, in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, a six-furlong contest for three-year-old sprinters, a division for whom age restricted events have been sorely lacking.

That has resulted in them being pitched in against their elders at an early stage, a lot of disappointing three-year-old seasons from which some have bounced back at four, or leading sprint juveniles being retired to stud early.

The hope was that one or more would emerge from the pack looking like major contenders for the best open sprints of the year.

The second (Limato) and third (Anthem Alexander) should be capable of picking up good prizes as the year progresses, the fourth (Salt Island) put up a performance of unexpected talent, but the winner could be the sort of star for which we hoped.

The Charlie Hills-trained Muhaarar is owned and bred by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and, as will catch the eye of those who eventually breed to him, he was an odds-on four-length winner of a five and a half furlong maiden in mid-May of his juvenile season.

He finished third behind Ivawood in the Group 2 July Stakes, third to Kodi Bear in the Listed Winkfield Stakes, and then narrowly won the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes before taking third behind Charming Thought in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes.

The son of Banstead Manor Stud ace Oasis Dream (by Green Desert) had plenty of ability, and when he beat Estidhkaar by a neck in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes on his reappearance in April, a classic try made sense.

He was only eighth behind Make Believe in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and his three and three-quarter length defeat of Limato at Ascot was done easily and in a quick time, earning a Timeform rating of 128p.

His victory gave Oasis Dream a Group 1 double at the meeting, as Goldream took the King’s Stand Stakes on the Tuesday, and he is one of four blacktype horses from his dam’s first five foals, a remarkable start to her stud career.

Tahrir (by Linamix) was herself a capable racehorse, winning a Newmarket maiden and Salisbury handicap, both over seven furlongs, and earning blacktype on her final start when chasing home Presto Shinko in the Listed Wentworth Stakes over six at Doncaster.

Her half-brother Mister Sacha (by Tiger Hill) won the Group 3 Prix de Guiche and was placed in the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein and in Group 3 Prix Quincey, while her full-brothers Mister Charm and Green Channel have won at listed level.

The record of her siblings, and of Linamix (by Mendez) as a broodmare sire, made it likely that she would do well in her second career.

Tamaathul (by Tiger Hill) is a pattern-placed handicapper, effective from six furlongs to a mile, and a six-figure earner whose current turf rating of 108 is down from a career peak of 115.

He was only beaten a length when fourth behind Reynaldothewizard in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen two years ago, but has not performed to that level since.

Tahrir’s second foal is the listed-placed miler Raasekha (by Pivotal), her third is the ill-fated juvenile six furlong listed scorer Sajwah (by Exceed And Excel), and number four is Rufoof (by Zamindar) who won twice over seven furlongs as a three-year-old.

Muhaarar, who is not the first Group 1 star in the family, is her fifth and he is followed by a juvenile colt named Kafoor (by Dubawi).

The grandam of Muhaarar is Miss Sacha (by Last Tycoon) who won the Listed Topaz Sprint Stakes and whose siblings included the Italian listed scorer Pinta.

Their dam Heaven High (by High Line) was only placed and the next dam won just once, but that mare was Triumphant (by Track Spare) and her six winning progeny included the champion Timarida (by Kalaglow).

The Aga Khan’s grey was trained by John Oxx and her 10 wins featured the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes, the Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and the Grade 1 Beverley D Stakes, and on her final start she was third behind Bosra Sham and Halling in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

Sadly she has not made as great an impact at stud, although her daughter Timabiyra (by Linamix) was listed-placed at the Curragh, and Group 3 scorer Timarwa (by Daylami) missed out on further blacktype when finishing fourth behind Peeping Fawn in both the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and Group 1 Irish Oaks.

The dam of Triumphant was Pugnacity and that Lowther Stakes, Falmouth Stakes and King George Stakes heroine was the dam of the Group 1 Benson & Hedges Gold Cup hero and Group 1 Derby runner-up Relkino (by Relko).

Muhaarar is the latest and fastest of the Group 1 winners in his family and he is likely to be very popular when he goes to stud.