Elarqam Intrigues In Earl Of Sefton

[Wandering Eyes]

Thursday’s final day of the Craven meeting at Newmarket is more low-key than the previous two, with the G3 bet365 Earl of Sefton S. the sole black-type event on the card. Whether ‘TDN Rising Star’ Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) can revive a tarnished reputation is probably the key question in this year’s renewal of the nine-furlong stepping stone to the big middle-distance contests of the summer. Mark Johnston was bemused by the performances of the son of his beloved Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) after a fourth placing in the G1 2000 Guineas last May but a wind operation could be the difference.

“I spoke to Mark Johnston on Monday and he is pleased with Elarqam’s condition and is very happy with his work,” commented Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. “Everything went wrong for him last year from the Irish Guineas onwards, so we pulled up stumps, touched up his wind and gave him a long break and now we are happy with him. He had a hairline fracture of his pelvis and you can never be sure how these things have healed, but his last pelvic scan, in December, was very good. Everything is a question mark for him. We just need to see him back as last year went downhill and we know he is better than that.”

Also representing Shadwell is the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Mustashry (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}) and despite his overall record suggesting he is one of this race’s leading lights, he has a five-pound penalty to burden him having won Doncaster’s seven-furlong G2 Park S. and the G2 Joel S. here in September. Gold added of him, “I saw Mustashry on Monday and he has started to come to himself and Sir Michael is happy with the way he is going. He is a very solid performer who has been a great servant to us and hopefully he will go on again this year. Jim Crowley had the choice of which one to ride and has plumped for Elarqam.”

Of the eight juveniles who line up for the Montaz Restaurant British EBF Novice S., half of them represent Godolphin and Ryan Moore is a rare booking for the operation on the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Electrical Storm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), which could be highly significant. A homebred half-brother to Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), he was the subject of a recent name change and if he can win over Britain’s minimum trip with his pedigree he could be one of the special ones.

On a big day for the Maktoums, the British EBF bet365 conditions S., which serves as a virtual European Free H. for lightly-raced types, sees Shadwell’s Newcastle debut scorer and 2000 Guineas entry Almashriq (War Front) have his first start on turf for the John Gosden stable.

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