NEWS: RACING

Spruce Lane-bred Rawy upsets 2,000 Guineas Trial at Meydan

Friday, January 21st, 2022

Rawy, a son of Frosted bred by Spruce Lane Farm and partners, upsets Friday’s UAE Guineas Trial at Meydan. Dubai Racing Club Photo.

By Tom Law

Rawy, a New York-bred colt by Frosted who impressed before last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training, scored a surprise victory in Friday’s UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Presented By Al Furjan By Azizi at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

Coming into the 7-furlong Guineas Trial off back-to-back seconds in his only two starts Dec. 23 and Jan. 15 at Meydan, Rawy took command almost from the start under Mikael Barzalona. They continued to lead throughout and gave the field, which included 5-6 favorite and 2021 Grade 1 Summer Stakes winner Albahr, the slip turning for home.

Rawy opened up in the stretch while the South American-bred duo of Quality Boone and Kiefer tried to mount a rally. Rawy held that pair clear to win by 2 lengths in 1:24.32. Fellow American-bred Mujeer finished fourth with Albahr, perhaps best remembered in the U.S. for being a late scratch prior to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf won by his stablemate Modern Games running controversially for purse money only, fifth of seven.

Rawy became Graceful Rage’s second winner from as many starters in Friday’s UAE Guineas Trial. Dubai Racing Club Photo.

Bred by Mike and Natanya McMahon’s Spruce Lane Farm and partners and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, Rawy is the second foal out of the winning Tiznow mare Graceful Rage. A half sister to Grade 2 winner Tip Tap Tapizar and the stakes-placed Divine Music, Graceful Rage was purchased by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock for $80,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Graceful Rage, who descends from the family of Canadian champion Peaks and Valleys, Alternate and Alternationl nurtured by the late Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stud, produced her first foal in 2018 with the New York-bred Constitution filly Constitutionalrage. Also bred by Spruce Lane and partners and sold as a weanling through the McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds consignment for $44,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, Constitutionalrage is 1-1-1 in 11 starts with $52,848.

Rawy passed through the auction ring three times before landing with RRR Racing and trainer Salem bin Ghadayer. Kirk Wycoff purchased the colt first, going to $75,000 to buy the gray or road offered as Hip 1904 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. He was resold for $40,000 as a yearling at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, purchased by Colin Brennan, agent.

Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables and offered as Hip 528 at last year’s OBS March sale, Rawy breezed an eighth in :10 and was purchased for $240,000 by Cromwell Bloodstock.

Graceful Rage is also the dam of an unnamed 2-year-old New York-bred filly by Hard Spun who sold out of the McMahon of Saratoga consignment for $75,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, and a New York-bred yearling filly by Tapizar that sold through Hidden Brook for $25,000 as a weanling at the 2021 Keeneland November sale. Graceful Rage was bred last season to Complexity.

 

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