Decorated Knight colt Damaar impressive on debut
15 September 2021
Decorated Knight colt Damaar – bred at Blue Diamoned Stud – made a brilliant winning debut at Sandown Park on Wednesday for John and Thady Gosden in the colours of Khalid Al Mudhaf and Mohammed Al-Qatami.
John Gosden was impressed, saying: “Damaar, like other Decorated Knights, has shown a great attitude in his training and displayed it well in his race today.”
Making his debut in exactly the same race in which John Gosden saddled Palace Pier to win two years ago, the well-backed Damaar made smooth headway down the outside under Robert Havlin to pick up the leaders and win going away.
“He’d been doing some nice bits of work on the Al Bahathri,” said Robert Havlin. “He’s done it nicely. He was one of the first ones off the bridle and quickened up well – a little bit better than I expected. He got a little bit lonely in front. Hopefully he’ll progress from here.”
Thady Gosden added: “He probably caught them a little by surprise with his turn of foot. He’s been working nicely at home, but he’s a very laid-back horse and he’s taken it all in his stride. He handled that well so we’ll take him home and see how he is and then make a plan from there. You can’t ask more than winning nicely first time out under a hands and heels ride. He’s won over a stiff seven so you’d be happy to step him up to a mile and possibly further next year.”
Damaar becomes the latest winner for our multiple Group 1 hero Decorated Knight. The regally-bred son of Galileo – a relation to Giant’s Causeway – made the perfect start to his stud career in May when his very first runner Silver Bullet Lady was the impressive winner of her debut, a hot conditions race at Salisbury.
Other winners by the stallion include Knight Rider, an impressive recent winner for Kevin Philippart de Foy.
Damaar was bred at Blue Diamond Stud out of Arwa. The winning daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was purchased as a yearling by Tony Nerses and boasts impeccable bloodlines as a half-sister to the brilliant stayer Order Of St George. Other half-siblings include the Group/Grade 3 winners Angel Terrace and Asperity while Arwa’s granddam is American champion 2yo Storm Song.
Decorated Knight stands at the Irish National Stud.
