Malavath given Newmarket green light

Simon Milham
April 24, 2022 3:38 pm

Filly will head to HQ rather than stay at home.

Malavath will head to the Qipco 1000 Guineas rather than the French equivalent, connections have confirmed.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s Mehmas filly produced an eye-catching seasonal debut in the Prix Impudence at Deauville following a juvenile campaign where she was never unplaced in five starts.

A Group Two victory in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly was followed by a gallant runner-up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf at Del Mar, where she came home half a length behind Christophe Clement’s Pizza Bianca.

David Redvers, owner and manager of Tweenhills stud, co-owns the filly under the Everest Racing banner.

Exciting filly! 2nd in the @BreedersCup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November, Malavath holds French and English Guineas entries and takes the Group 3 Prix Imprudence for Christophe Soumillon and @GraffardRacing… pic.twitter.com/lDEF1HRftE
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 7, 2022

He said: “She is on course for the 1000 Guineas, although it is a nervous week running up to it.

“She won the Prix Imprudence, which is the French Guineas trial, and according to her trainer she has come on significantly for that run, is in the peak of health and we just hope she can spend this last week incident-free and arrive at Newmarket in the form she is currently in at home.”

Malavath’s three victories in six career starts have all come with ease in the ground but the weather is set fair for the week.

However, despite the prospect of faster ground, Redvers insists Malavath copes with any conditions, underlining her Del Mar run as an example.

“She won the Prix Impudence on heavy ground, there is no getting away from that, but she also ran in the Breeders’ Cup on fast ground,” he added.

“We always felt she would be inconvenienced by heavy ground and we were very worried about running her before that in the Criterium de Maison-Laffitte in very soft ground (which she won).

“One of the things that makes her particularly interesting is she seems to have an extraordinary ability to handle any conditions and a temperament that most trainers would die for.”

Though Malavath stayed well on her first attempt over a mile at Del Mar, Redvers concedes that there are still some stamina doubts to be addressed.

“The Breeders’ Cup was firm ground, although it is a very different thing running on the Rowley Mile to running round a bend at Del Mar,” he admitted.

Christophe Soumillon will ride Malavath (Steven Paston/PA)

“There are pedigree question marks surrounding the sire rather than anything else. But she is one of the few with a genuinely steep climb in her form figures and she seems to have improved again.

“Francis is extremely positive about her chance and never questioned running at Newmarket.

“I thought the obvious bet would be to go to the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches but he has always been adamant that this is where she is coming – he thinks she is as good as there is, and wants to prove it.”

Though Ryan Moore was on board at Del Mar, Christophe Soumillon partnered Malavath on her seasonal debut and is set to keep the ride in a race which saw ante-post favourite Inspiral withdrawn on Sunday.

“If there was any doubt about running at Newmarket before, the Inspiral news would have dispelled it completely,” Redvers added.