Classy South African mare Egyptian Mau, a daughter of Wilgerbosdrift’s inform stallion Fire Away, showed her class when she won the G3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes at Belmont Park on Thursday.
The daughter of Fire Away made a mockery of her 31-1 startting price with a convincing display on Thursday.
An almost six-month layoff and facing males could not stop the mare from winning her first U.S. graded stakes in Thursday’s $200,000 feature. The Neil Drysdale trainee posted a 31-1 upset for her first graded stakes win since the 2023 G3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes in her native South Africa.
Breaking from post 4 under Antonio Fresu, Egyptian Mau rated in sixth behind the leaders on the rail through a quarter-mile in :23.19 and a half-mile in :45.83. Still fifth in the stretch, Fresu and Egyptian Mau took advantage of a gap on rail to run down second-choice Walaro for a neck score.
The mare has now won four of 15 starts, with Egyptian Mau having also claimed an allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita Park last October.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Egyptian Mau races for Team Valor International.
The mare, a half-sister to G3 Tabgold Godolphin Barb Stakes winner Cymric, was produced by the winning Fort Wood mare Savannah Cat.
Thursday’s winner, a R425 000 buy from the 2022 National Yearling Sale, hails from Fire Away’s very first crop, with this crop also responsible for G3 Langerman winner My Golly Molly, East Cape star Luna Halo and Fire Away also looks to have a promising three-year-old to his name in the form of Noble Saint.
The latter made it two wins from just three starts when romping home to win the Next Vaal Racemeeting Thursday 8 October MR 74 Handicap (1400m) by nearly three and a half lengths.
Trained by Tony Peter, Noble Saint had finished fourth on debut before going on to win his next two starts.
Bred by Moutonshoek, the Hyperpaint Syndicate owned gelding is out of the Mambo In Seattle mare Always Red and is thus bred on the same Fire Away/Mambo In Seattle cross as G1 winner Fire Attack.
Fire Away has five lots on offer at the October Two Year Old Sale including a half-brother (Lot 66) to G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July winner and exciting young sire Oriental Charm.