Emaraaty Ana will attempt to give his Yorkshire-based trainer, Kevin Ryan, a third victory in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes when the Group 1 contest is staged at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Racecourse on Saturday (29th September).
And, like Ryan’s previous winners of this £275,000 showpiece – Amadeus Wolf in 2005 and Astaire in 2013 – Emaraaty Ana will arrive in Suffolk on the back of a last time out success in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York.
Each of the three Pattern Races on Saturday (‘Juddmonte Day’) have received major prize money boosts for a second straight year - the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes and Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes are up 37.5 per cent on their 2017 values, while the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes has been raised 25 per cent. Overall, the prize fund for these three races has risen by almost 50 per cent over the last two years.
A son of Shamardal, Emaraaty Ana was one of 13 colts to stand their ground at today’s confirmation stage for this six furlong event and he may renew rivalry with the two opponents who chased him home in the Gimcrack, Legends Of War and Shine So Bright.
Irish Champion Trainer Aidan O’Brien took his Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes-winning tally to a record total of five when U S Navy Flag scored 12 months ago. He is set to be strongly represented again this year with his four entries including the unbeaten Ten Sovereigns, successful in the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes on his latest start, and Sergei Prokofiev, third in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
The only other unbeaten colt among the entries is the Simon Crisford-trained Jash. He faces a big step up in class after two wide margin triumphs, first at Newmarket’s July Course and then at Salisbury.
Kevin Ryan, trainer of Emaraaty Ana, said:
“Emaraaty Ana is a very uncomplicated horse who has come out of his Gimcrack win in good form. He is fresh and well.”
“I don’t need to see the form book to know how good a horse he is. I have held him in the highest regard from a very early stage and he has never let us down.”
“The Gimcrack-Middle Park Stakes double is something that I have pulled off before and it just seemed the right way to go with him.”
“I don’t like to compare my horses from different generations, Amadeus Wolf and Astaire were both very good horses in their own right as is this fellow. The Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes is a very prestigious race and I feel lucky to have horses good enough to take part.”
“Emaraaty Ana is a simple, straightforward type, so I don’t foresee the undulations of the Rowley Mile being a problem to him, I would imagine it will be very nice ground. This will be his last run of the year and he will be much bigger and stronger next season.”
