The Al Shaqab Racing-bred and owned Al Wakrah notched up a second consecutive victory when winning Prix de Vern d'Anjou at Le Lion D’Angers on Saturday.
Simone Brogi’s trainee started her career in early May. Seventh on racecourse debut over 1,100m at Tarbes, she quickly got her act together and easily won her maiden over the same distance at Châteaubriant just before the end of the same month. on Saturday, the bay filly clearly benefited from a step up in trip, to 1,400m, and managed to land the spoils of the Class 2 contest for two-year-olds with Fabrice Veron in the saddle.
Having broken well from the stalls, Sam Blaster took the field along in the early part of the race. Al Wakrah was always in the leader’s slipstream. She travelled well throughout and was settled behind the leader. As the field swing for home, Al Wakrah was asked to quicken and quickly drew clear under hands and heels to win easily by one and a half lengths. Answer Me finished second for trainer JM Lefebvre and jockey Ludovic Boisseau. The F Monnier-trained and Maryline Eon-ridden Acoustic finished third as she was further three-quarters-of-a-length behind.
“She has left a very good impression there,” Veron said in a post-race interview on Equidia. “Looking towards the future with her, I think that a straight 1,400m would be perfect.”
Bred by Al Shaqab Racing, Al Wakrah is a daughter of Al Wukair, who stands at Haras de Bouquetot and she is out of Al Thakhira. She is the fourth produce of her dam and the second to win. Al Thakhira, who was trained by Marco Botti and won the Rockafel Stakes (Group 2), also has a yearling filly by Shalaa.