Anmaat in rude health as he bids for Prix Dollar repeat

Anmaat will attempt to continue his ParisLongchamp love affair when he tries to regain the Qatar Prix Dollar crown on Saturday.

Owen Burrows’ six-year-old is unbeaten in two starts in the French capital and having won this prize two years ago, he also scooped Group One honours in the the Prix d’Ispahan in 2023.

However, he was unable to build on that first top-level success as injury kept him on the sidelines for 439 days afterwards.

The son of Awtaad showed the fire still burns when making a winning return in Haydock’s Rose of Lancaster Stakes and having skipped the red-hot Irish Champion Stakes last month, now heads to his favourite place on the continent in search of further riches.

“I think they are really, really happy with him, touch wood, I don’t want to jinx him. Everyone has been thrilled with him,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.

“He’s done incredibly well, the horse, because he had a pretty nasty injury in one of his feet and a lot of horses wouldn’t have come back from it at all. He was out at the stud for best part of a year.

“He came back and won, so we gave him a bit of time after that just because he had a hard enough run there, but his weight is good, he really loves his work and is a fantastic character.”

Gold went on: “He absolutely loves what he does and hopefully again he is going into it fresher than most, obviously it is a strong contest, as it should be, with some good three-year-olds in there.

“I’m not going to say he’s going to win, but if he can reproduce his form he won’t be far away.”

William Haggas saddled Dubai Honour to win this in 2021 and attempts to repeat the feat with My Prospero, with his victory over Jack Channon’s Certain Lad in Windsor’s Winter Hill Stakes given a boost on French soil recently.

It was Haggas’ Economics who prevented Jayarebe building on his Royal Ascot triumph in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, but Brian Meehan takes plenty of comfort from seeing what his colt’s conqueror did at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes ahead of another cross-Channel assignment.

“He’s in great form and the form is working out well, I couldn’t be happier with him really,” said Meehan.

“It was a really good performance at Deauville and he’s in great form. It would be wonderful if he could run well again, he’s been a great horse for us to have this year and it looks a great next step for him on Saturday.”

Ed Walker’s Almaqam was a place behind Jayarebe at Deauville on his first try at 10 furlongs and will have the assistance of Ryan Moore as he returns to his preferred soft ground.

Carlos and Yann Lerner will warm-up for Look De Vega’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bid by saddling the hat-trick seeking Grosser Dallmayr-Preis winner Calif, while Andre Fabre’s pair of First Look and Bir Castle complete the field.

First Look split Arc candidates Look De Vega and Sosie when second in the Prix du Jockey Club earlier in the year, but has failed to reach the same heights in two outings since, now sporting the colours of Wathnan Racing.

The owner’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “Without a shadow of a doubt he is a good horse and we gave him a good break after Ascot. We probably ran him back too quickly after the Prix du Jockey Club at Ascot and we gave him a break.

“I thought it was a good race he ran back in at the course last month and Andre said he would come on for it. This is a hard task but hopefully he has got a chance of placing. It fits well and is the right trip and Andre is confident he will come forward plenty.”