Alanudd is the only horse
to win the Dubai Kahayla Classic on three occasions, a record that's likely to
remain for a long time to come
More than winning thrice on Dubai World
Cup day, the awesome record of Alanudd (formerly called Unchained Melody), and
the manner of her victories only point towards a legend on hooves.
While winning 36 races out
of the 37 she started, Alanudd was one of the most dominant winners, with most
of the wins being pillar-to-post affairs. In 31 starts in the UAE, she
demolished her rivals 30 times and every time the chestnut mare came out, she
used to be greeted with loud applause that got louder as she majestically
thundered down the home stretch, winning easily and convincingly.
Only
twice in her career did Alanudd falter, once when she lost in 1995 to Vanissa Du
Loup, and the next year, when she ran an uncharacteristic race but still won.
Racing in the National Day Cup in Abu Dhabi, Alanudd (Blackstun astride) was
leading when she suddenly veered to the extreme right and finished on the stand
side, still winning by over seven lengths!
The loss to Vanissa Du Loup in
the President's Cup in April '95 came after Alanudd won 13 consecutive races,
six in the US and seven in the UAE. Any doubts regarding an end to her then
glorious racing career were soon dispelled and the great mare went on to
register some of her most memorable wins.
She won 23 more races on the
trot including three Kahayla Classics on Dubai World Cup day. Her astounding
record, both on turf and dirt, includes five Emirates Championships, five
President's Cups, four National Day Cups, and the Maktoum Challenge. Alanudd
also set three best-time records among Purebred Arabian horses in the UAE:
01:40:12 over a mile in Abu Dhabi in 1998; 02:13:34 over 2,000 metres at Nad Al
Sheba in 1997; and 02:23:49 over 2,200 metres in Abu Dhabi in 1996
The great Cigar, the
champion Dubai Millennium and the gutsy Silver Charm have all won the glory and
respect of racing fans on Dubai World Cup day. But one horse that has left an
indelible mark on the big day is Alanudd. Owned by His Highness The President
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Alanudd is perhaps one of the greatest
Purebred Arabian horses to race in the UAE. Winner of the $250,000 Dubai Kahayla
Classic in 1997, '98 and '99, Alanudd is the only horse to win the race on three
occasions, a record that is likely to remain for a long time to
come.
Sterling Pedigree
Sired by ZT Ali Baba with the dam being
Blu Bint Haleema, she certainly had class in her blood for ZT Ali Baba was
renowned for his speed while the sire of Alanudd's dam, Samtyr, was known for
his tough, sound offspring.
Soon after the great mare left the tracks to
begin her new role as a brood-mare, her trainer Yancey Carter Jr. had this to
say: "She was a very pleasant horse to train, very sound both mentally and
physically, and this was her greatest assets. Alanudd, with her excellent
conformation, quality, speed and soundness, is an ideal brood mare." Four years
on, Yancey, one of the trainers of Sheikh Zayed's horses, led Mijdadd — the
first of the foals from Alanudd — into the winner's enclosure. Mijdadd won on
his debut run, brushing aside challenges from quite a few older rivals and the
fans were back on their feet cheering Alanudd's son.
Only time will tell
if any other horse, Purebred or Thoroughbred, will be able to break the record
of wining thrice on Dubai World Cup day, to match Alanudd's awesome
record. |
