A talented Group performer as a three-year-old, the Al Shaqab Racing and Nada Moussali-owned Mounjared Al Cham only made one racecourse appearance as a four-year-old last year when injured finishing fifth in the Group 3 PA Prix Nefta-Dormane.
Last month, Thomas Fourcy’s now five-year-old trainee made his reappearance going down by the smallest of noses to his stablemate Joud Al Cham. Yesterday, Mounjared Al Cham went one better in the Prix BA Toustem at La Teste De Buch, France, winning by an impressive five-length margin.
He was ridden by Jerome Cabre in this 1,900m race for four-year-old and older Purebred Arabians. The jockey sat him in mid-division next to Joud Al Cham. In the straight, Joud Al Cham came quickly on the inside, followed by Mounjared Al Cham. The latter moved up to join his stable companion on the front line of horses, and at the 200m mark, showed a top class acceleration to quickly pull clear of the field.
ARION finished second for Mrs JF. BERNARD and jockey Gregory Benoist. The Jean De Mieulle-trained and Olivier Olivier D’Andigné-ridden Lamet Shamel was a further two and three-quarter lengths behind in third. “He has matured, and he accelerated well to finish which was nice to see,” said Fourcy. “His jockey wanted to bring him up between horses, but gap narrowed and the horse was a little timid. Last year, he was injured in his only start. He has since strengthened and matured and that is why he was able to accelerate as well as he did today. He has run twice this year and I have end-of-year targets for him. We will try to win a Group race with him and then aim for the Group 1 races in the Autumn. He could go abroad, possibly to Qatar, as he likes fast ground.”