THE death last year of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum led to a significant reduction in the number of horses owned and raced by Shadwell.

Among the lots sold last October at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale was an unraced two-year-old colt by the champion sprinter Muhaarar (Oasis Dream). The colt had been in training with Owen Burrows.

There was a lot to like about the colt on pedigree. He had five winning siblings, notably a listed winning son of Oasis Dream (Green Desert), Mushir, and their dam Shimah was a listed winner in Ireland who ran half a length second to Again in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in a four-race career. She was trained by Kevin Prendergast.

Mick Appleby bought the colt, named Annaf, for 16,000gns and he has run three times this year, winning over five and six furlongs and finishing second on his other start. He has won most of his purchase price back, and will no doubt be placed by his trainer to best effect.

It is interesting that Annaf is still a colt, and he possesses a pedigree that would entitle him to a career at stud. The question is could he improve that much? His sire’s fourth crop will race this year, though it is fair to say that Muhaarar has been somewhat disappointing, in spite of siring the 2021 Group 1 winner Eshaada in his second crop. He is also responsible for a pair of Group 3 winners and three listed winners. All but one of his blacktype scorers are fillies, while all but one of his four stakes-placed earners are also female.

Dynasty

Shimah, a daughter of Storm Cat (Storm Bird), comes from a female line that has produced no end of stakes winners for Shadwell.

Her third dam Manal (Luthier), a full-sister to Twig Moss and Tip Moss, showed little in three starts for Tom Jones, but she established quite a dynasty at stud. While Group 1 winners Mustashry (Tamayuz) and Ventura Storm (Zoffany) are the only winners at the highest level tracing to her, some 30 other stakes winners do, including smart runners such as Gutaifan (Dark Angel) and Maraahal (Alzao).

Also delighted with this latest success will be Marco and Natalie Steinmann of Double First Stables. They purchased Shimah at Goffs last November for €75,000, carrying to three-time Royal Ascot Group 1 winning sprinter Blue Point (Shamardal), and she was due to foal this month.