Alkumait magic in Mill Reef but bigger tests now await

We saw yet another star emerge for Hamdan Al Maktoum at Newbury on Saturday. Alkumait was an impressive winner of the Mill Reef Stakes in a race which admittedly went his way given they went a fair clip in front.

Jim Crowley was able to settle his mount from off the pace before cooly picking the field off in the closing stages, and in the end he hit the front a shade too soon and could have won by further than the three-quarters of a length margin he had over favourite Fivethousandtoone, who stuck on well from the rest of the field given he raced with the choke out.

Marcus Tregoning had to say goodbye to his Sussex Stakes hero Mohaather last month, but he's got another good one for Sheikh Hamdan here and it will be interesting to see how far this colt can go.

Along with Gimcrack winner Minzaal, the owner has an exciting pair of speedsters to look forward to for the autumn and next season.

The Group 1 Dewhurst is an obvious option for Alkumait, although he'll have to be supplemented, but beyond that, could he be a 2,000 Guineas horse? Looking at his breeding, it's difficult to see why he would be.

His dam Suelita was a sprinter, as have been his close relatives. His sire Showcasing was all about speed, and given the tidy turn of foot Alkumait showed here, it would be a surprise were he to end up over a mile so there is nothing particularly eyecatching about odds of 33-1 for the Newmarket Classic.

That said, Tregoning might be tempted by a Guineas trial like Newbury's Greenham Stakes which he won last year with Mohaather.

Watch Alkumait's success in the Mill Reef Stakes

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