Munnings’ Shahama Wins UAE 1000 Guineas Trial

It was another impressive performance for Shahama (3f Munnings x Private Feelings, by Belong To Me) when she won Saturday’s UAE 1000 Guineas Trial at Meydan to earn Thoroughbred Daily News ‘Rising Star’ honors.

The seven furlong race in sloppy conditions saw the filly enter a sprint for the lead before settling just in midpack. Encountering traffic, Shahama didn’t have as easy a time as she’d had in her nine length debut score but was still impressive in the stretch.

Swinging around the leader, she quickly had the lead and galloped away to win by 2 ½ lengths over Pride of Dubai’s Shinyar in the end.

A $425,000 OBS 2-Year-Old purchase, she is trained by Fawzi Nass for KHK Racing.

“I was never in trouble, I was following William Buick's horse, I was in a pocket, but she learned a lot today,” jockey Arie de Vries told Thoroughbred Daily News. “Today she did it the hard way. I thought today when she hit the front, she was waiting. I was a bit afraid for the conditions, as the ground gets firm with the rain. A mile and even further will be better for her.”

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock, Shahama has multiple connections to Ashford stallions as a half-sister to Munnings’ champion studmate Lookin At Lucky and multiple graded stakes winner Kensei among her five winning half-siblings.

Their winning dam Private Feeling is a half-sister to Grade III winner Grand Charmer and to the dam of champion Wait a While.

Munnings ended 2021 as the number three sire by Grade I winners with three, Grade I performers with seven, stakes winners with 19 and stakes performers with 39 in addition to finishing second by number of winners with 169.