The Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes
FACT FILE: WHO WAS GIMCRACK? A BRIEF HISTORY? The Gimcrack Stakes was established in 1846. Originally open to horses of either gender, the first renewal was won by Ellerdale, ridden by Tommy Lye and trained by Tom Dawson. It wasn’t until 1987 when the race was restricted to colts and geldings.
Distance Six furlongs (1,400m)
Prize money £100,000
Gimcrack, a grandson of the foundation stallion, the Godolphin Arabian, was a 18th century racehorse who, despite his small stature at just 14.2 hands, won 27 of his 36 races in a career spanning seven seasons.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CLASSIC WINNERS?? The race tends to produce top-class sprinters but the 2001 winner Rock Of Gibraltar broke the mould. As a three-year-old he won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas and the Irish 2,000 Guineas during a run of seven consecutive Group 1 victories. Only Frankel can better that! Further back in time, the legendary Mill Reef won this race in 1970 before winning the Investec Derby the following year.
Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a trainer, a jockey and a stable lad.
GEORGE STUBBS?
Stubbs, a leading artist in the 18th Century, is perhaps best known for his equine master pieces. The record price for a Stubbs painting was set by the sale at auction of Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey at Christie’s in London in July 2011 for £22.4 million.
ANOTHER MULTIPLE GROUP 1 WINNER The 2014 winner Muhaarar went from strength-to-strength as a three-year-old. The Charlie Hills-trained sprinter won four consecutive Group 1s - the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, the Darley July Cup at Newmarket, the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville and the British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot. In the process, he wrote his name into the record book by becoming the first British-trained horse for 25 years to complete a hat-trick of Group 1 sprints. The last horse to achieve such a feat was the 1991 Nunthorpe winner Dayjur, who, like Muhaarar, was owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. 40
Muhaarar