Enaad does it again

Former South African champion stayer Enaad won the premier race in Mauritius for the second year in succession yesterday.

Sent off as favourite for the Air Mauritius Maiden Cup (Group 1), Enaad showed his quality when it mattered.

Enaad, the winner of the South African Gold Vase-Gold Cup double in 2016, showed he had lost none of his staying prowess, passing several top-class horses in the closing stretch.

His win gave jockey Daniel Stackhouse and the Gujadhur stable their second “classic” win and third Group 1 win of the season.

Enaad travelled well back in the field for most of the 2400m trip, eighth of the 11 runners, until Stackhouse pressed the button with about 450m to go.

He proved to be full of running as they entered the final straight and he hunted down stable companion and pacesetter The Great One (Swapneel Rama), getting the better of him in the final strides.

The Gilbert Rousset-trained duo of Ten Gun Salute (Robbie Fradd) and Dawn Raid (Nishal Teeha) were third and fourth.

It was a fifth Maiden Cup victory for Ramapatee Gujadhur and his 21st Mauritian classic win.

Enaad was trained by Mike de Kock in South Africa.