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Araaja reigns supreme in Toulouse

She has long been referred to as ‘Tom Melbourne’s little sister’, but Araaja is quickly forging a reputation of her own in France.

Trainer, Antoine de Watrigant had long felt Araaja was a potential Prix De Diane (French Oaks) contender and until recently she remained in contention for the prestigious classic. However, the decision to instead target a 2000M Class 1 at Toulouse resulted in a most pleasing win on Friday night.

Ridden by Valentin Seguy, Araaja settled second in the run and took control on the home bend. As soon as she hit the front, she was immediately challenged and headed by a horse peeling off her back. To her credit, Araaja dug in for the fight and reclaimed the ascendancy over the final furlong – eventually winning narrowly, with a 6.5L gap back to third.

 

Araaja is building an impressive CV having now won three of her six starts. This improving filly will now be targeted towards black type races with a Group 3 race at Chantilly on July 9 a potential target.

Araaja is by Roshanak who, as well as being Tom Melbourne’s mother, is also a half-sister to Fiorente. Araaja is certainly living up to her outstanding breeding page and it’s thought she will continue to improve with further racing.

OTI would like to congratulate all partners on their exciting win on Friday night. Hopefully, there are more wins in store with this exciting filly.