Mustajeeb News: Three Part Brother Produces Woodbine Gr1 Winner Blond Me
Mustajeeb, a son of Gr1 winning and producing Nayef, has his three parts brother Tamayuz at stud in England and the young sire is off to enormous success already. Tamayuz shares his second dam with Mustajeeb (in turn his third dam), both sons of 5-time Gr1 winner Nayef. Ascot record breaker Mustajeeb will be standing at Bush Hill Stud in 2018 after his export was delayed in the 2017 breeding season.
Mrs. Barbara M. Keller’s Blond Me came charging down the outside of Woodbine’s stretch to win the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes by about three-quarters of a length, scoring her first top-level victory under jockey Oisin Murphy. The 5-year-old daughter of Tamayuz was bet down to odds of 8-1 at post time, and bested 5-1 Kitten’s Roar at the finish. Trained by Andrew Balding, the mare covered 1 1/4 miles over the soft turf course in 2:08.08. Race favorite Nezwaah, off at 5-2, finished fifth.
“You always get sick when you see the opposition because you think, ‘Oh my God, they’re so good,’” said Keller. “But, you know, her form this year in England was fabulous. She was second to Winter, on really bad ground. She beat Hydrangea, who was a subsequent Group 1 winner. So we knew that she could handle this ground.”
An Irish-bred dual Group 2 Stakes winner, Blond Me had previously run twice in North America, at Belmont and at Keeneland in 2015. Her second foray across the ocean would lead to victory, this time on the Canadian side of the border.
Rainha da Bateria broke on top of the field, striding out to a one-length lead over Quidura and Kitten’s Roar. Fourstar Crook and Nezwaah moved in unison behind those two, followed by Blond Me on the outside of Rain Goddess. The soft course likely contributed to slow fractions of :26.72, :52.20 and 1:17.20, after which Kitten’s Roar, on the outside of Quidura, ranged up to challenge the leading Rainha da Bateria around the far turn.
Murphy kept Blond Me covered up after moving her into contention around the turn, then found a hole between rivals to make a run down the center of the course.
Kitten’s Roar put away Rainha da Bateria, but was then overcome by Blond Me. Though Kitten’s Roar continued to battle for the length of the stretch, Blond Me held her advantage and crossed the wire three-quarters of a length in front. Kitten’s Roar had to settle for second, about a length in front of Fourstar Crook. Rainha da Bateria faded to fourth, and favorite Nezwaah finished fifth.
“We walked the track this morning,” said Anna Lisa Balding, wife of Blond Me’s trainer. “I think, as everyone knows, soft ground in Canada is very different from soft ground in the U.K., so we were very happy that she acted on it today.”
Bred in Ireland by Wardstown Stud, Blond Me was a $109,862 yearling at the Tattersalls October sale. She has a pair of listed stakes wins and a pair of Group 2 wins to her name overseas, as well as a second in Group 1 company. The E. P. Taylor is her first top-level win, and improves the mare’s overall record to six wins and five seconds from 17 wins, and earnings now over $1 million.
Mustajeeb is owned by Shadwell Stud.
-extract paulickreport.com
