Wahid (horse)
Encyclopedia
Wahid is a Thoroughbred
racehorse who won the New Zealand Derby
in 2006.
The son of Almutawakel
grabbed everyone's attention with his stunning debut win at Trentham (covering the 1000m in 57.27 seconds), and was rarely out of the limelight for the remainder of his two year-old season. With wins in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes and New Zealand Bloodstock Classique and Group 1 placings in both the Diamond Stakes and Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes he was rightly rated among the very best of his generation at two and was labelled a Derby contender.
He began his three year-old season quietly while Darci Brahma
dominated the main spring races, running in lower-quality company before brilliantly beating the year's best filly in Shikoba in the Group 1 Levin Classic.
After a short break over the summer months he started his Derby campaign at Woodville before heading straight back into stakes company. He won the Wellington Stakes but had the race taken away from him for interference caused to the third horse Abbey Drive, but then had a winning sequence in Group races of three, culminating with the Derby win in March.
One of the most remarkable things about his summer-autumn Derby campaign is that he reversed the style of racing that he had used to such great effect as a two year-old and spring three year-old. Instead of coming from off the pace as he had in those two campaigns, he set the pace and led all the way in the Waikato Guineas, Championship Stakes and Derby.
With both Wahid and Darci Brahma being such great successes throughout the season without ever meeting, it is near impossible to say who was the better male three year-old of the season. With the award controversially given to Darci Brahma after a majority voted for Wahid, the issue remains a source of intense debate.
Wahid's four year-old season was a disappointment, with the exception of a good fourth-placing in the Kelt Capital Stakes
. His five year-old season started well, with a win at Ellerslie followed up with a third behind champion galloper Xcellent in the Sir James Fletcher Stakes. However, he was found to have a virus at his next start, and did not race for the rest of the season. His six year-old campaign started with two unplaced runs, followed by a fast-finishing fourth in the Lightning Stakes at Trentham. He came back as a seven year-old but failed to recapture his best form, and was officially retired in November 2009.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse who won the New Zealand Derby
New Zealand Derby
The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horserace for three-year-old, run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day of Auckland Cup Week. From 2009, it was run for a purse of $2.2...
in 2006.
The son of Almutawakel
Almutawakel
Almutawakel was a British Thoroughbred racehorse sired by Machiavellian and the Irish stakes-winning Green Desert mare, Elfaslah.Almutawakel's most prominent victory came in the 1999 Dubai World Cup...
grabbed everyone's attention with his stunning debut win at Trentham (covering the 1000m in 57.27 seconds), and was rarely out of the limelight for the remainder of his two year-old season. With wins in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes and New Zealand Bloodstock Classique and Group 1 placings in both the Diamond Stakes and Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes he was rightly rated among the very best of his generation at two and was labelled a Derby contender.
He began his three year-old season quietly while Darci Brahma
Darci Brahma
Darci Brahma is a New Zealand thoroughbred colt foaled in 2002 at Pencarrow Stud near Cambridge in New Zealand. He was auctioned at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ltd Yearling Sales in January 2004 and acquired by a syndicate of ten investors for the sum of NZ$1.1 million.-2004–2005 season:Sent...
dominated the main spring races, running in lower-quality company before brilliantly beating the year's best filly in Shikoba in the Group 1 Levin Classic.
After a short break over the summer months he started his Derby campaign at Woodville before heading straight back into stakes company. He won the Wellington Stakes but had the race taken away from him for interference caused to the third horse Abbey Drive, but then had a winning sequence in Group races of three, culminating with the Derby win in March.
One of the most remarkable things about his summer-autumn Derby campaign is that he reversed the style of racing that he had used to such great effect as a two year-old and spring three year-old. Instead of coming from off the pace as he had in those two campaigns, he set the pace and led all the way in the Waikato Guineas, Championship Stakes and Derby.
With both Wahid and Darci Brahma being such great successes throughout the season without ever meeting, it is near impossible to say who was the better male three year-old of the season. With the award controversially given to Darci Brahma after a majority voted for Wahid, the issue remains a source of intense debate.
Wahid's four year-old season was a disappointment, with the exception of a good fourth-placing in the Kelt Capital Stakes
Kelt Capital Stakes
The Kit Ormond Memorial Spring Classic is a Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay and is New Zealand's richest weight-for-age horse race...
. His five year-old season started well, with a win at Ellerslie followed up with a third behind champion galloper Xcellent in the Sir James Fletcher Stakes. However, he was found to have a virus at his next start, and did not race for the rest of the season. His six year-old campaign started with two unplaced runs, followed by a fast-finishing fourth in the Lightning Stakes at Trentham. He came back as a seven year-old but failed to recapture his best form, and was officially retired in November 2009.