Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum had a system. When the founder of Shadwell Racing went to the Thoroughbred sales, he would ask to look at a yearling. After a quick glance, the deputy ruler of Dubai would then ask that the prospect be taken away.
“He would drive consignors crazy,” said Rick Nichols, vice president and general manager of Shadwell. “They’d bring it out, and he would kind of glance at it and tell them to put it away. They would think, ‘Oh, he didn’t like it.’ Well, that meant he really did like it.”
And, “He loved (Malathaat).”
With good reason, as the $1,050,000 purchase at the Keeneland September 2019 Select Yearling Sale improved to a perfect 5-for-5 in her career by winning the 147th running of the $1,250,000 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday before an announced crowd of 41,472 at Churchill Downs.
Unfortunately, Sheikh Hamdan passed away March 24 at the age of 75, but he was there in spirit as Shadwell experienced its first Oaks victory and Todd Pletcher his fourth as Malathaat held off Search Results by a neck to win in a time of 1:48.99, the sixth fastest in Oaks history.
“I’ve only trained for Shadwell for a little over a year,” said Pletcher, “but I’ve never been around an organization who admired and loved their boss as much as Shadwell.”
Winner of the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland on April 3, Malathaat paid $7.00, $4.60 and $3.40. Trained by Chad Brown and owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, Search Results paid $6.80 and $5.60. Long shot Will’s Secret paid $9.60 to show.
Travel Column, second in the morning line for trainer Brad Cox behind Malathaat, finished fifth behind fourth-place finisher Clairiere, trained by Steve Asmussen.
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Malathaat impressed more than a few at that 2019 Keeneland sale. In fact, Pletcher had put together a group that hoped to purchase the daughter of Curlin only to lose out to Shadwell. Then when Nichols met with Pletcher about training for Sheikh Hamdan’s stable after Kiaran McLaughlin’s retirement, he saw the filly on the roster sheet.
“I was hoping she would come to me,” the 53-year-old trainer said Friday.
She did, helping Pletcher move one victory behind the legendary Woody Stephens for most Oaks triumphs by a trainer. Stephens won in 1959 (Hidden Talent), 1960 (Make Sail), 1963 (Sally Ship), 1978 (White Star Line) and 1981 (Heavenly Cause). Pletcher won in 2004 with Ashado, in 2007 with Rags to Riches and 2013 with Princess of Sylmar.
It was the second Oaks win for John Velazquez, who teamed in 2004 with Pletcher aboard Ashado. “When the money’s down,” said Pletcher, “there’s no one better.”
Malathaat won the Tempted Stakes and Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes last year at Aqueduct, before winning the Ashland in her 3-year-old debut. She was forced to rally Friday to get past the previously unbeaten Search Results in the stretch.
“She ran her eyeballs out, she really did,” said Brown of his filly. “She battled all the way to the end and we got beat by a really good filly. She delivered and hopefully we’ll get one of these one day.”
Nichols appeared to show some sadness that Shadwell’s day to win the Oaks happened after Sheikh Hamdan had passed.
“He would have really loved this race,” Nichols said. “He really enjoyed, as I do, horses coming from behind and winning.”
Is there any thought of seeing if the talented filly could win against the boys at some point?
“Let’s see how she comes out of this,” Nichols said. “I would have loved to run tomorrow.”
A filly has not run in the Kentucky Derby since Churchill Downs instituted its qualifying point systems for both the Derby and Oaks in 2013.
“I think there needs to be a race to qualify one or two fillies every year,” Nichols said.
“The system needs to be tweaked a little bit,” Pletcher said.
Said Velazquez, “I think she’d be very, very competitive.”