Taghrooda off the mark as a broodmare as son Almighwar excels at Kempton

Exceptional racemare Taghrooda was represented by her first winner as a broodmare when her three-year-old son Almighwar broke his maiden in emphatic fashion at Kempton on Sunday.

Almighwar – like his dam, trained by John Gosden for owner and breeder Hamdan Al Maktoum – had finished down the field on his sole previous start in a novice stakes over a mile at Newmarket last October.

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But the son of Dubawi showed the benefit of a long break and a step up in trip as he scored by four and a quarter lengths in the Kempton novice stakes over 12 furlongs.

“He was devouring the ground towards the end of the race, he really stretched,” jockey Jim Crowley told Racing UK after the run.

“He's a big sleeping baby, he had just the one run last year. Look at the size of him, it probably took him until now to fill his frame and he's a very nice horse.

“It probably wasn't a strong race but I just like the way he did things, he was relaxed and went through the gears nicely. He's a big galloping horse, bred to be very good and let's hope he is.”

Taghrooda, a daughter of Sea The Stars and multiple Listed winner Ezima, landed the Oaks and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by wide margins at three, and capped her Classic season by finishing an admirable third behind Treve and Flintshire in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Almighwar is her second foal but first runner since she retired to join Sheikh Hamdan's broodmare band.

Taghrooda's first foal, a four-year-old Kingman filly named Jahafil, is unraced. She has no two-year-old produce but does have a yearling colt by Muhaarar and was covered by Dubawi again last year.

Almighwar caps a good week for Dubawi, during which he supplied three winners at Royal Ascot – Lord North in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, Khaloosy in the Britannia Handicap and Onassis in the Sandringham Handicap.

It was also an outstanding meeting for Sheikh Hamdan, whose silks were carried to victory six times including by Khaloosy.

His other scorers were Battaash in the King's Stand Stakes, Nazeef in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, Molatham in the Jersey Stakes, Hukum in the King George V Stakes and Motakhayyel in the Buckingham Palace Handicap.

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