Ashaawes
Ashaawes has his first crop of two-year-olds racing this season and was credited with a first winner when colt Donnie Brasco scored easily on debut over 1200m at the Vaal (turf) on Thursday.
Bought For US $2.85 million as a yearling – the third highest price of 2004 – Ashaawes made a lively start to his UK racing career in the Godolphin blue colours. He won three of his four starts, scoring on debut as a two-year-old and finishing fourth in a Listed race before being put way for his three-year-old campaign. He won twice over 1800/2000m from as many appearances on his return and was entered for such races as the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby, but injury cut short his career abruptly. Ashaawes was clearly held in high regard by his connections, and was ranked by Godolphin in their “Super Six” to follow before having to be retired prematurely. He was rated 106 by Timeform at three, but was expected to improve on that if he’d had the opportunity.
Ashaawes is a son of Kingmambo, who has sired champions in eight countries and whose successful stallion sons include King’s Best and Dubai Destination. Ashaawes is out of the Seattle Slew mare Crown Of Crimson, who won three races including a Listed event in the USA. She is also the dam of Meydan City, a two-years younger full brother to Ashaawes who was sold for a whopping US $11.7 million as a yearling when the subject stallion was a three-year-old, which gives some idea of the esteem in which Ashaawes was held. Ashaawes’ second dam Fitted Crown never won, but at stud she produced four times American Gr 1 winner Excellent Meeting as well as dual Listed winner Crowned Meeting.
Ashaawes’ third dam Close Control only managed to win one race, but she is the dam of USA Gr 1 winner Sophisticated Girl and the ancestress of a host of Graded/Group race winners including sires Doneraile Court and Souvenir Copy.
Now aged nine, Ashaawes was imported in 2008 and stands at James Armitage’s Sandown Stud in the Western Cape. The stallion’s 2011 fee was advertised as R12 000.
