Mehmas enjoyed another big result on Saturday as his second-crop daughter Malavath captured the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly.
The Francis-Henri Graffard-trained filly was short of room for a moment but once extricated by Olivier Peslier, quickened well to win a shade cosily from the Group 3 winner Have A Nice Day with another good yardstick, Desert Dreamer, in third.
Now a two-time winner, having scored impressively on her most recent start at Chantilly, Malavath was bred here at Tally-Ho Stud out of Fidaaha, a New Approach half-sister to Group 3 winners Steip Amach and Ceisteach. Further back, it is the family of Shergar.
She was sold by us as a yearling to Star Bloodstock, who resold her for £120,000 to David Redvers and Meridian International for £120,000 as an Arqana May breezer.
"The filly won very well," Graffard to JDG. "During the race she managed to find the opening. To win a Group 2 for this filly is really very important. I'm not sure she will be best over 1,600m at 3 years but her attitude is so good that she could possibly do 1,400m.
"We'll see how she spends the winter and at the start of the year how it turns out. It's a great victory - Malavath races for Everest Racing, a group team ridden by Ghislain Bozo. There are also Barbara Keller and David Redvers in the association."
Ghislain Bozo added: "Malavath is a good ground filly so she really does it on her quality and generosity, which is very promising.
"Everest Racing is a very recent team. It was set up in partnership with a Franco-German bank called ODDO BHF. The idea is to introduce new owners to racing to open up our world. I am very happy for all the shareholders and the people who support us because it is hard, when you start, to understand the defeats and the difficulties."
Malavath becomes the 15th stakes winner for Mehmas and his 4th stakes-winning two-year-old of 2021 after CATURRA, winner of the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, LUSAIL, winner of the Group 2 Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes, and BEAUTY INSPIRE, winner of the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes.
Hierarchy, Gubbass, Rolling The Dice and Mojomaker have also been stakes-placed 2yos this season.
MALAVATH'S FULL-BROTHER SELLS AS LOT 552 IN BOOK 2 OF THE TATTERSALLS OCTOBER SALE.
