Maraahel Team Consider Another Champion Stakes Bid

Maraahel could bid for an elusive first Group One victory in the #350,000 Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket on Champions´ Day, Saturday, October 14.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained five-year-old, an excellent third behind David Junior and Pride in last year´s renewal, landed the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, and narrowly lost out to stable companion and fellow entry Notnowcato in the Group One Juddmonte International Stakes last time out at York on August 22.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, revealed today:'Maraahel is a possible runner in the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes, although I haven´t discussed the options yet with the owner.

'He worked yesterday morning and everyone was happy with him. He came out of his last race fine and I don´t think he´s missed a day since.

'He´s a neat and relatively light-framed colt and doesn´t take an awful lot of racing, so we would always try and spread his races out, hence the reason he has not run since August.

'The ground does not appear to affect him adversely either way, but he wouldn´t want extremes of going. He seems happy on most ground. Obviously, it would be great to get a Group One win from him.'

German handler Peter Schiergen is no stranger to success on these shores, having sent out Boreal to land the Group One Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs in 2002, and he is considering a tilt at the Newmarket showpiece with Soldier Hollow.

The six-year-old son of In The Wings, who has been successful three times in Group One company, twice in Italy and once in Germany, was last seen in action at Longchamp last weekend when winning the Group Two Prix Dollar, in which he showed an excellent attitude to get the better of Manduro by a neck.

Schiergen commented today: 'Soldier Hollow is not a certain runner at Newmarket as I need to talk with the owner first. There are other options for the horse, including the Group One Premio Roma, which he has won for the past two seasons.

'He won well last time in France and would want some cut in the ground if he runs, while 10 furlongs is his best trip.'

The trainer added that his other entry Arcadio, conqueror of Soldier Hollow in a mile Group Two contest at Cologne in June, would not be aimed at the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes.

The 10-furlong Emirates Airline Champion Stakes contenders also include the 2005 Arc and 2006 King George hero, Hurricane Run; the 2006 Vodafone Derby victor, Sir Percy, who landed the Darley Dewhurst Stakes on this day last year; the globe-trotting superstar mare Ouija Board, who has won six Group One races in England, Ireland, France, the USA and Hong Kong; this year´s fast finishing Arc runner-up, Pride, who was also runner-up in last year´s Emirates Airline Champion Stakes; one of the season´s top milers, Araafa, who could step up in trip for the first time having won both the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James´s Palace Stakes, and Stan James 1000 Guineas runner-up and Prix de Dainae Hermes scorer Confidential Lady.

The Emirates Airline Champion Stakes heads the seven races on a superb programme that makes up Champions´ Day at Newmarket on Saturday, October 14.

The day also features the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes, for two-year-olds and worth #250,000.

Group Two action comes with the seven-furlong VC Bet Challenge Stakes and the ´In The Pink´ Rockfel Stakes over seven furlongs for two-year-old fillies, while the Group Three David Wilson Homes Jockey Club Cup over two miles and Group Three Unicorn Asset Management Darley Stakes over nine furlongs plus the hotly competitive #150,000 totesport Cesarewitch, the second leg of the Autumn Double, complete the card. Total prize money on Champions´ Day is over #1 million.