Melbourne, Mar 4 – Foaled at the Fairwinds quarantine station and raised at Yarraman Park for Shadwell Australia, the David Hayes trained two year-old filly Azwa became the first Australian winner for European based sire Haafhd when she scored on debut at Sandown on Wednesday.
Craig Williams was content to allow Azwa to sit off the favourite San Cristobel in the run and over the concluding stages when he asked her for an effort she let down with a determined to charge to nail the other filly close to the line and win by a long neck.
Azwa was conceived in the Northern Hemisphere to SH time, her dam Mihnah sent to Australia in 2006 to Yarraman Park.
The dam of three winners in Europe including stakes-placed Tahtheeb, Mihnah is a half-sister to Group Three winner Ranin by the Riverman horse Lahib.
Azwa is her fifth foal and her current yearling, a colt by Elusive Quality (USA) was passed in shy of his reserve at Magic Millions this year and has been retained to race.
Mihnah produced a colt by Nadeem last spring and was covered by the Blue Diamond winner again and is in foal.
As for Haafhd, who is he?
A son of the Northern Dancer line horse Alhaarth, Haafhd won the 2004 English Two Thousand Guineas and stands at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in England.
His oldest Euorpean progeny are three year-olds and include 14 winners last year, although no Black Type performers to this point.
