ALAADEL (AUS) won a MR67 Handicap over 1400m right after his Maiden win at Turffontein on Saturday and although he didn’t beat much, there were a number of positives to take from the run.

As it stands, not many three-year-olds can step up to handicap company immediately after their Maidens – Alaadel did it under a hefty 59,5kg.  He was still green, but responded more readily when Craig Zackey asked him to run – he took command easily and only started running around when he hit the front, shifting, changing legs and looking unsure of what to do next.

“Alaadel is a hard horse to train, he’s a difficult horse with a bad mouth so he can only improve with racing,” commented Mathew de Kock on Sunday.  “But off his rating we’ll be able to place him in another handicap so he can gain even more confidence.  Also, the Aussie-breds come into their own with more maturity so there’s every reason to look forward to his career.”

Alaadel, by Sebring, races for Sheiklh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.