Ameerat (foaled 4 April 1998) is a British

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. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. In a racing career which lasted from August 2000 to October 2001 she ran seven times and won two races. After winning once from three starts as a two-year-old, she won the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

1000 Guineas at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

on her first appearance of the 2001 season. Her subsequent career was disappointing, as she finished unplaced in her three remaining races. At the end of her three-year-old season she was retired from racing to become a broodmare. Ameerat was not regarded as one of the better classic winners.

Background

Ameerat, a bay horse with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and three white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

, was bred in England by her owner Ahmed Al Maktoum. Ameerat was sired by Mark of Esteem an "outstanding" miler who won the 2000 Guineas and the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is s ...

in 1996. He went on to become a successful stallion, siring The Derby winner

Sir Percy Sir Percy (foaled 2003) is a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 2005 to June 2007 he ran ten times and won five races. he was among the leading British two-year-olds of 2005, when his win included the De ...

and the European champion sprinter Reverence. Her dam, Walimu, won three minor races for Ahmed Al Maktoum and was a granddaughter of the racemare Roussalka who won the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

and two editions of the

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...

in the mid-1970s. As a descendant of the broodmare Mumtaz Begum, she is a member of the same branch of Thoroughbred family 9-c which produced

Shergar Shergar (3 March 1978 – ) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of ...

Risen Star Risen Star (March 25, 1985 – March 13, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1988. Background The dark bay colt was the son of the great Triple Crown winner Secretariat and out of ...

and

Oh So Sharp Oh So Sharp (1982–2001) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the English Fillies' Triple Crown in 1985. In a racing career which lasted from August 1984 until September 1985, she won seven of h ...

. Ameerat was trained at Newmarket, Suffolk by

Michael Jarvis Michael Jarvis (14 August 1938 – 20 September 2011) was a Thoroughbred horse trainer in England. Based in Newmarket, Jarvis trained numerous Group One winners including three winners of the British Haydock Sprint Cup. Jarvis's horses also ...

and was ridden in all but one of her races by Philip Robinson.

Racing career

Ameerat began her racing career in a seven

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

maiden race at Goodwood in August 2000. According to ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' she had already acquired a "glowing reputation" on the basis of her performances in training. She started 3/1 favourite and won comfortably by two lengths from Sayedah, leading the Racing Post to describe her as "promising". A month later, Ameerat was moved up in class for the Group Three

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

at Doncaster Racecourse. Ridden by

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...

, Ameerat had a troubled race, struggling to obtain a clear run in the straight and then being hampered in the last strides as she finished second by a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

to the favourite Karasta. In October, Ameerat started 4/1 second favourite for the Group Two

Rockfel Stakes The Rockfel Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse, New ...

at Newmarket, but finished sixth of the sixteen runners behind Sayedah and

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

. Ameerat did not contest any of the early trial races in the spring of 2001, but reportedly pleased Jarvis with her performances in training. On 6 May, Ameerat made her three-year-old debut in the 1000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile course. She started at odds of 11/1 in a field of fifteen runners, with Karasta being made the 9/2 favourite. Robinson positioned the filly just behind the front-running Godolphin filly Muwakleh before moving up to challenge for the lead a furlong from the finish. In the closing stages, Ameerat overtook Muwakleh and won by a neck, with Toroca one and three quarter lengths further back in third. Ameerat's victory gave Jarvis his first British classic winner in a thirty-three year training career. He described the moment as "a great thrill", while Robinson described the winner as a "remarkable filly". Ameerat's form deteriorated after her classic win. Her next start came in the

at Royal Ascot where she made little impression, finishing fifth behind the French-trained filly

Banks Hill Banks Hill (foaled February 24, 1998 in England) was a French Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. She was bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. She was sired by Danehill, a multiple Champion sire in England, Ireland, and France and ...

. Matched against

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

s and older horses in the

Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and ...

at Goodwood in July, Ameerat started a 16/1 outsider and finished eighth of the ten runners behind

Noverre Noverre (May 2, 1998 – 2012) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Noverre was a bay horse bred by Darley Stud and raced by a sister operation, Godolphin Racing. He was sired by Rahy, out of the ...

. The filly was dropped in class for her final start in the Group Two Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket in October. Ameerat was never in serious contention and finished seventh behind Independence. Ameerat remained in training in 2002, and was entered in the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

, but did not race again.

Stud record

Ameerat became a broodmare for the Maktoum family's

Darley Stud Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the interna ...

. She has produced several minor winners, but nothing of top class. DOB Foal Sire Breeder Runs Wins Earnings Wins Course Race Type 2004 25-Feb-04 Own Boss (USA) Seeking The Gold (USA) Darley 5 1 £4,616 27-Aug-07 Warwick Maiden 2005 Barren 2006 Barren 2007 21-Jan-07 b c Sowaylm (GB) Tobougg (IRE) Darley 18 1 £11,243 1-Nov-09 Lingfield Median Auction Maiden 2008 11-Mar-08 b c Kawssaj (GB) Dubawi (IRE) Darley 9 1 £4,476 8-Aug-11 Lingfield Maiden 2009 19-Mar-09 b f Oojooba (GB) Monsun (GER) Darley 11 1 £20,951 24-Sep-11 Haydock Maiden Fillies, LR placed in 2013 2010 20-Mar-10 b f Saadatt (GB) New Approach (IRE) Darley Unraced 2011 3-May-11 b c High Bridge (GB) Monsun (GER) Darley Won 2 National Hunt Flat Races and placed twice in similar races from 4 starts in England 2015; placed 2nd from 1 start on the flat in 2016; won 3 novice hurdles from 3 starts to date over hurdles 2016–17 2012 26-Apr-12 b f (Ire) New Approach (IRE)

Pedigree

*Ameerat is inbred 4x4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of her pedigree.

References

{{1000 Guineas winners 1998 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 9-c 1000 Guineas winners