Wow! What a day! All winners are special, but this was off the charts…
Royal Ascot is such a hard place even to get a runner, let alone a horse to run well and nigh on impossible to get a winner, but Alobayyah duly delivered in the Kensington Palace Stakes.
The 4-year-old daughter of Ghaiyyath has always been held in high regard by trainer William Haggas and had Classic aspirations as a three-year-old, only to be held back by coughing for most of last summer. It was great to see her promise shine on the track.
Under a very cool ride from Tom Marquand, Alobayyah was produced late in the 1-mile event and quickened up smartly to win by a neck in what was a career-best run to date. The win was a special moment for Salhia Stud in just their 3rd year of racing, but even in that time they have invested strongly into the British Racing industry, so a win on the biggest stage meant a huge amount to the whole team and to everyone who has been part of their journey to date.
Alobayyah will now look to take a rise in Class as she aims at Listed & Group races, trying to gain that all-important black-type ahead of her future career as a broodmare.
Congratulations to owners Salhia Stud, trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand.
