'Any mare from here will be better than anything they have there' - new plans in Egypt begin at Tattersalls

Egypt, the cradle of culture, civilisation and the urbane turfiste Omar Sharif, feels like just the sort of place you would expect to find horseracing.

At last week’s Tattersalls July Sale, some small steps were being taken towards re-establishing the sport’s footprint in the country by a couple of agents who have already had a bit of success.

Jalil Al Mallah and Ramzi Hassan, old friends who are both small trainers back home in Bahrain, were scouting for breeding stock. At the moment, Egyptian racing centres upon a brief season at a conventional track in Alexandria but then there are wild contests which hark back to the original premise of point-to-points. The pair are working with a major owner, Madani Mujahed, and are of the understanding that exciting plans are afoot.

"The government have mentioned that they’ll build a new, bigger track, in the new capital in Cairo," says Hassan. "I think within two to three years there’ll be a club with grandstands, it will be a proper place to have racing. 

"We sat down with them and thought there should be an advanced plan. Years ago I bought only stallions for them, now it’s looking for mares in foal to improve the racing there."

Al Mallah and Hassan have been coming to Newmarket since the early 90s for clients all across the Gulf. While both have seen plenty, their experience of Egyptian rural racing in the desert left quite an impression. A challenge will be made between horses trained in two different villages and a duel will take place over around ten furlongs, from one designated spot to another, with people lining the course to watch it.

"It’s more of a festival, they celebrate a certain date that marks an event rather than anything else," says Al Mallah. "The whole population of the two villages will be out there, the race will start and then once one horse beats the other, the race isn’t over, they’ll have to meet again some days later and it’s best of three, then they get the trophy. After that there’s a big celebration.

"The losers will come and join the winners and there’ll be another celebration. It’s more about bringing people together rather than losers and winners, done for the fun of it and to show who has the best horse."

A few people might just about remember They Seek Him Here, a son of Elusive Pimpernel who won a two-year-old maiden for Hugo Palmer in 2015 and was fourth in both the Superlative and Solario Stakes. The pair eventually bought him for 10,000gns at Tattersalls and he has been transformed into the Frankel of the Nile in these contests. 

"Everyone wants to cover from this stallion but I said he should have good mares," "says Hassan. "He has ten foals now so he’s started, but he still races."

They Seek Him Here (black and red colours) once finished fourth to Birchwood in the 2015 Superlative Stakes at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

Al Mallah continues: "He’s unbeaten and looked at in Egypt now as a star. The problem is they can’t find anyone that wants to challenge him!"

A few purchases were made during the week and although they were only low profile colts and three mares costing a couple of thousand each, covered by the sort of stallions who are largely passed over, they explain that they will be cherished articles 

"Any mare that comes from here will be better than anything they have there," says Hassan. "At the moment they have a lot of mixed blood, local mares and Arabian horses."

Al Mallah adds: "Now it’s the time to get them good mares. The only thing is that the budget is very small. The shipping is costly to Egypt, they have the exchange rate in mind and the Egyptian pound is very low compared with sterling. 

"They go for a small budget and invest more money into the shipping of the horse."

It could understandably raise welfare concerns that thoroughbreds are ending up in such a different environment to what they have known, for all that it is the nature of trade in an open market. Al Mallah feels he has seen enough care and attention for the scene to be given the opportunity to flourish.

"Most Egyptian people love horses like family," he says.

"If you go to Ireland, they live and breathe horses, it’s horses everywhere and it’s the same with the Egyptian villages. There is pride to have a horse, from ancient ages and now it’s taken off, from generation to generation.

"They have good fields there, good grass. There's not as much rain as in Europe but there is some rainfall, plenty of minerals, which are good for bone. The idea of breeding there is a good one, I think."

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