Ahtoug Edged Out Again In Meydan Sprint

Ahtoug was narrowly beaten for a second successive year in the Group Three Meydan Sprint Sponsored By Arabian Adventures at Meydan, UAE, on Super Saturday, March 7.

The Charlie Appleby-trained seven-year-old, who went down by a head to Shea Shea in the five-furlong contest in 2014, showed his customary early speed from the stalls and raced in mid-division on the stands' side of the 16 runners early on.

He made smooth headway under William Buick entering the final quarter-mile and quickened strongly to join Caspar Netscher in front with half a furlong to race.

But the pair were collared on the line by Sir Maximilian, who flew home to beat Ahtoug by a short-head in 57.10s on good ground, with Caspar Netscher a head back in third as the first three finished clear.

Charlie Appleby commented: "I was delighted with Ahtoug's run. He was second in this race last year before running well in the Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup Night and that is where we will go again. On the back of that performance, I am sure that he will be competitive.

"William Buick was happy with the cheek-pieces tonight - they certainly helped him travel through the race better and we will keep them on for the Al Quoz Sprint."