Given a peach of a ride by Craig Newitt, the bargain-priced European import Monbaher (IRE) made his first attempt at stakes level count in Friday night’s Listed PKF Torney Night Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley.
The sparingly raced, Matt Cumani-trained 6-year-old gelding was making his third run back after an injury-enforced layoff of 78 weeks after winning at Flemington in July 2022.
The son of the Group 1 winning Oasis Dream stallion Muhaarar needed every yard of the 2500m to run down the game Japanese-bred gelding Mystery Island (JPN) (Victoire Pisa) with Amade (IRE) (Casamento) back in third.
Twice a winner at Doncaster, when trained by John & Thady Gosden, Monbaher’s stakes breakthrough advances his record to five wins, two seconds, and two thirds from 14 starts with earnings of $298,159.
A 36
He is the best of four winners from as many to race for the winning Sea The Stars mare Seagull, a three-quarter sister to Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas winner Nightime, the dam of Darley Stud’s 4-time Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (IRE), Fastnet Rock’s Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes heroine Zhukova (IRE), and the stakes-placed Mermaid Island (IRE) the dam of the Listed Laelia Stakes winner Ondina (Manhattan Rain).
Monbaher (IRE) is the 25th stakes-winner for Muhaarar (GB), who stands at Haras Du Petit Tellier, France for €14,000.
