THIS is a big year for Eqtidaar as he will be represented by his first two-year-old runners. While he will not have one of the largest crops, his juveniles number more than 50, so we can expect a number of winners.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Eqtidaar was the impressive winner of a Group 1 sprint at Royal Ascot as a three-year-old. Retired to Nunnery Stud in Norfolk at the modest fee of £5,000, he has been maintained at that figure throughout and his yearlings last year realised up to 12 times his covering fee.

Eqtidaar is among the 21 Group 1 stars sired by champion sprinter Invincible Spirit, a son of Green Desert (Danzig) whose other sons include Kingman, Charm Spirit, National Defense, Profitable, Mayson, Vale Of York, Lawman, Cable Bay, Shalaa and Magna Grecia, in addition to the sensational Australian sire I Am invincible.

Madany, the dam of Eqtidaar, is a speedy daughter of Acclamation (Royal Applause) and she scored twice at two, and is dam of three other winners, notably young Mickley Stud stallion Massaat, who won the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury and was second in both the Group 1 Newmarket 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, and he made a most promising start with his first runners in 2022.

Also worth noting is Madany’s son Mujbar, a son of the former Shadwell stallion Muhaarar (Oasis Dream), and he scored in the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury at two.

Madany is a half-sister to seven winners, among them Dolled Up (Whipper), a Group 3 winner in France, and Zeiting (Zieten). The latter mare won three listed events in France and the USA before becoming the dam of three group winners, Combat Zone (Refuse To Bend), Royal Empire (Teofilo) and Scottish (Teofilo).

This is also the immediate family of Precieuse (Tamayuz) who won the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches-French 1000 Guineas, and the UAE Group 1 winner Hypothetical (Lope De Vega.

Eqtidaar was a very comfortable winner first time out of a maiden race at Nottingham over six furlongs, scoring by two and a half lengths, and in his only other start that season he was fourth to Invincible Army in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton Park.

These two met again in the Group 3 Merriebelle Pavilion Stakes at Ascot at three, and this time Eqtidaar was a close second to Invincible Army, before finishing fourth in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury. However, at Royal Ascot he showed his true colours by winning the Group 1 Commonwealth Stakes in a huge field of 22 runners, coming home half a length clear of Sands Of Mali, with Emblazoned third and Invincible Army unplaced.

In the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket he was out of the first three behind U S Navy Flag, though ahead of Limato and Sands Of Mali. All of Eqtidaar’s starts were over six furlongs. In their Racehorses of 2018 Eqtidaar was rated by Timeform on 117, equal with Invincible Army and Sioux Nation.

EQTIDAAR (IRE), Bay 2015. Won two races, £311,763, over 6 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Commonwealth Cup, Ascot, Gr.1, also placed second in Merriebelle Pavilion Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3.

Retired to Stud in 2020, first crop now 2 year olds.

Stands at: Nunnery Stud, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2QE, England.

Contact: Will Wright

Telephone: +44 1842 756963 or +44 7787 422901

Email: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk

Web: www.shadwellstud.com

Fee: £5,000