Maarek seeking more after winning the biggest prize of his career
Maarek, who is enjoying a hugely productive season, bagged the biggest prize of his career earlier this month, when winning the Group 2, Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes for Irish trainer David Nagle and jockey Jamie Spencer.
After grabbing a couple of Group 3s, the 5-year-old stepped up on the grading ladder in a tremendous fashion. He secured a marvellous win in Newcastle in June, but started struggling thereafter.
Ahead of the latest strike, the son of Pivotal ran brilliantly on a few occasions, but without any success. He finally got it right at Ascot a few days ago.
Maarek was surely under pressure prior to start of the big meeting. On Ascot’s soft six furlongs, he completely failed to make a fine beginning, and held up in last of the near side quartet. In testing conditions, it was very difficult to recover from an
easy mess, but the talented runner did it in style.
He made smooth progress to lead a furlong before the wire, and stayed on well to seize the first rank by three quarters of a length. As a result, a huge prize of £141,775 went straight into his pocket.
Nagle said after the event: "The Curragh didn't work out but they also didn't really go fast enough for him and he was beaten by a very good filly. He loves soft ground and this was a big pot so I thought why shouldn't we come?"
Spencer added: "He's been busy and very, very consistent all season. He loves soft ground and I got a good lead into the race from Neil [Callan on The Cheka]. Everything worked out perfectly."
Beating the big guns like Hawkeyethenoo, Sirius Prospect and Society Rock was certainly a huge achievement for Maarek. He is currently full of momentum, and can offer more goods in the days to come.
The next big goal should be to demonstrate an equally good show at the highest level of the game. His ability to handle testing surface makes him a valuable runner, and it is just a matter of time when he grabs a Grade One trophy.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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