Malavath ran a brilliant race in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Friday, closing from an unpromising position to take second in the $920,000 event.
Previously successful in the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte for Francis-Henri Graffard, the Mehmas filly was burdened with an awkward wide draw on this occasion. However, Ryan Moore worked out a good inner trip from the back of the field and Malavath answered every call, quickening up the fence to hit the wire in second, just half-a-length off the winner Pizza Bianca.
"We are all super happy!" Ghislain Bozo of Everest Racing, who co-owns the filly with David Redvers and Barbara Keller, told JDG. "Ryan Moore was very complimentary about the filly: he said she wasn't just a Breeders' Cup filly but had everything to be a Guineas filly. He really sees her as a three-year-old and what she is doing now is on her class.
"Malavath has a great capacity for adaptation, she has good attitude and a good mind."
Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard added: "It was a big challenge to come here with a filly who had won over 1,200m on heavy ground. Malavath is a top class filly, she has shown her quality and also that she can go the mile."
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 as an Arqana May breezer.
Malavath is one of 16 stakes winners for Mehmas and one of 4 stakes-winning two-year-olds 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.
Mehmas was also represented at Del Mar on Friday by Optimising, who ran an excellent second in the Qatar Golden Mile Stakes. The 2yo was bred by Eamon Phelan out of Lotus Roots, by Whipper.
Hierarchy, Gubbass, Rolling The Dice and Mojomaker have also been stakes-placed 2yos this season.