Narrowly beaten in the Group III The Bart Cummings and third in the Group III Lexus Stakes, Shadwell Stud's 6yo Iffraaj (GB) gelding Jaameh (IRE) missed a start in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup but found a consolation in Saturday's $300,000 Group III Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington.
The David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained gelding looked a certainty to keep his run of narrow defeats going when last seasons Group 1 Victoria Derby runner-up Sully (Reliable Man) put a half-length on the Shadwell import at the 200m but as Sully began to wander in the closing stages Jaameh (IRE) rallied under Mark Zahra to win by with Libran back in third. (photos Grant Courtney).
A 3-time winner in England when trained by Mark Johnston, Jaameh (IRE) advanced his overall record to 7 wins, 3 seconds and 5 thirds from 24 starts with earnings of $589,215.
In earning his first stakes win Jaameh (IRE) becomes the 65th stakes-winner for Darley Stud's Iffraaj (GB) who shuttles to Haunui Stud in New Zealand.
"Mark gave her the perfect ride but when the grey (Sully) came up outside him I thought he's got us and the way the week has gone, running seconds and thirds, I thought it was happening again," David Hayes said.
"I think that may be good enough to get him in (next year's Melbourne Cup.
" He won that on his staying ability and I think he is a better horse with his runs spaced."
He's a genuine two-miler who we haven't got to two miles yet
Tom Dabernig rued that Jaameh missed a start in the Melbourne Cup.
"We were very confident about him if he got the start in Cup," Dabernig said.
"It was great (Shadwell's) Angus Gold is here to witness it."
Jaameh (IRE) is the best of five winners out of the lightly raced Rock Of Gibraltar mare Miss Gibraltar (GB) who is a daughter of the Listed Leopardstown Debutante Stakes winner Photogenic (Midyan).
