Essaouira has a breeding record to match just about any broodmare in Australasia, having produced Group 1 winner and Darley stallion Astern, triple Group 1-winning mare Alizee (Sepoy) and stakes-performed pair Tassort, who is about to enter his second season as a stallion at Newgate, and Mogador (Lonhro).
Amegdul, a powerful and impressive colt, was having his fifth start in the royal blue of Godolphin, but his first for James Cummings since returning from a spell of four months. With Michael Dee in the saddle, he delivered a strong demonstration of his talent in the 1206 metre maiden.
He saw off the challenge of the Peter Moody-trained Granny's Reward (Reward For Effort) by 0.75l, with another 2l back to Bluejack (Awesome Rock) in third.
Amegdul had shown promise through his first preparation for Cummings with his best performance a second in a midweek race at Sandown but looks to have come back a much stronger and mature horse judged on his maiden win.
"He's a big brute of a type of a horse. He was ready to get up and race and be competitive last time in, but we always felt as he matured, he would be able to carry his weight a bit better and sure enough with that experience of that first preparation, he saluted nicely today," Godolphin Senior Foreman, Sean Keogh, said.
Keogh felt there was still plenty of improvement out of the win, with the better 3-year-old races coming up in the new racing season, which starts next Sunday.
"He probably idled a bit there, so you can see that he has still got some maturing to do and he is not quite the finished product," he said.
"Obviously, he (Amegdul) is very well-bred, being out of Essaouira, who is a Group 1 producer with Astern and Alizee, so it’s great to see that family get another win." - Sean Keogh
"Obviously, he is very well-bred, being out of Essaouira, who is a Group 1 producer with Astern and Alizee, so it’s great to see that family get another win."
Dee was quite impressed with what Amegdul was able to produce on his racetrack return, describing him as a colt of some promise.
"He gave me a lovely feel and a feel that he is going to progress and when he becomes a 3-year-old he can get out over further. He has the right nature to go with that as well," he said.
"He just goes about his business as you would like and he's certainly on the way up."
"He (Amegdul) just goes about his business as you would like and he's certainly on the way up." - Sean Keogh
Astern, a brother to this colt, was kept to races up to 1400 metres in his short but very successful racing career, which included his marquee success in the G1 Golden Rose S. as an early 3-year-old.
He is now making his mark as a Darley stallion, having produced 11 winners, including two stakes winners, from his first Australian crop as well as another two winners from his Northern Hemisphere base at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky.
Three of Essaouira's daughters, Alizee, Marrakesh (Lonhro) and Leopard (Animal Kingdom {USA}) are part of the Godolphin broodmare band, while the recently retired Tangier (Medaglia D'Oro}) is joining them this year.
Alizee is in foal to I Am Invincible on an early October cover, while Marrakesh is in foal to Street Boss (USA) and Leopard to Brazen Beau.
Essaouira has a yearling filly by Sepoy and a weanling filly by I Am Invincible on their way through, while she visited Blue Point (Ire) last year. She is in foal on a November cover.
It's a pedigree that goes back to Amegdul's fourth dam, the Champion filly and mare Triscay (Marscay), who was a five-time Group 1 winner and the dam of G1 The Galaxy H. winner La Baraka (Euclase). She in turn produced the Group 2 winner Alizes (NZ) (Rory's Jester), the dam of Essaouira.
Laurie, Dugan repeat the Toronado dose
The other 2-year-old race at Sale saw a familiar combination to the fore with trainer Matt Laurie producing a smart son of Toronado (Ire) in the colours of Paul Dugan.
Dugan raced Prince Of Sussex (Toronado {Ire}) with success with Laurie, winning the $1 million VOBIS Gold Showdown at Caulfield in 2019, with that horse subsequently sold to Hong Kong, where he has raced as Lucky Express and won one race and placed in a Listed Hong Kong Classic Mile.
The Laurie-trained Chartres is a 2-year-old gelding of some promise based on his strong 1l victory over Red Hot Nicc (Nicconi) and Throw At Da Stumps (Rich Enuff) in his 1206 metre maiden.
"Paul is a good client of mine and he acquired the horse. I must admit when he arrived he wasn't the most impressive looking animal, but he has developed and has got a good engine and they are going to have a lot of fun with him," Laurie said.
"He has got a lovely, big action, he looks tough, is by a stallion that everybody is talking about, so I'm sure he’ll be able to put a good race away."
"He (Chartres) has got a lovely, big action, he looks tough, is by a stallion (Toronado) that everybody is talking about, so I'm sure he’ll be able to put a good race away." - Matt Laurie
Chartres becomes the fourth winner from Swettenham Stud resident Toronado's third Australian crop and his 108th winner overall.
Toronado has just returned to Australia ahead of his seventh season where the son of High Chaparral (Ire) will stand at $49,500 (inc GST).
Toronado (Ire) | Standing at Swettenham Stud
