A homebred for Shadwell, five year-old Deep Field gelding Al Muthana has had a change of ownership and trainer since he won the Group I Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge last year, but he’s lost none of his talent scoring a major upset win in the Group I L’Omarins King’s Plate (1600m) at Kenilworth on Saturday.
The race featured previously unbeaten three year-old Charles Dickens who was a short priced favourite to win the elite WFA mile, but Al Muthana had other ideas.
Now trained by Ricky Maingard for a new syndicate of owners, Al Muthana zoomed down the outside to nail the favourite on the line and win by a long head.
Al Muthana has eight wins from 18 starts, four of those wins in stakes races and two at Group I level, so he is the first offspring of his sire Deep Field to win more than one Group I race.
The success of Al Muthana is sure to be of interest to all the people now invested in his female family following the Shadwell Dispersal in 2021.
A homebred for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, that was foaled and raised at Yarraman Park, Al Muthana is a half-brother to Group II winner Wawail and is the best of five winners from eight to race from Group II winning Redoute’s Choice mare El Daana.
A $900,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Shadwell back in 2006, El Daana was sold at the 2021 Shadwell Dispersal at Magic Millions National where she was picked up by Paul Willetts Bloodstock for $120,000.
Her Group II winning daughter Wawail was sold at the same sale also to Paul Willetts for $425,000.
Both mares are now at stud in Victoria and Wawail has a yearling colt by Deep Field that is a three-quarter brother-in-blood to Al Muthana and will be offeredat Magic Millions by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds as Lot 540.
Wawail had a Toronado (IRE) colt last year and was then covered by him again.
El Daana has a yearling filly by Too Darn Hot and after missing the next year was covered by Pinatubo (IRE) last spring.
The family will also appear at Inglis Classic where Widden Stud will offer a Trapeze Artist filly from Taqaareed, a winning half-sister by Sepoy to Al Muthana as Lot 139.
Al Muthana is one of three Group I winners for Newgate Farm’s Deep Field, who has 54 catalogued for the Magic Millions.
