Is It Me dominated his rivals in the G3 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap at Flemington on Saturday, 8 March to demand a place in even stronger races over the autumn carnival.
The five-year-old burst through along the inside in the home straight to beat Klabel by nearly four lengths in a very fast 1 minute 21.68 seconds for 1,400m. A back-to-back 1,400m winner at Flemington in January and February, Is It Me put up a career best and took his record under trainer Dan Bowman to seven wins and eight placings from 21 starts for prize-money earnings $531,850.
Bred by Woodpark Stud out of the Group-placed mare Gosh and offered by Lime Country Thoroughbred, Burradoo at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling Sale, the horse was sold Bowman for $40,000.
Since commencing stud duties in 2007, Iffraaj has sired an impressive 102 Stakes winners of 192 Black-Type events. Just a few weeks ago, Reputation (out of Tenacity) won the Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes over 1,600m at Tauherenikau.
Iffraaj was unlucky not to sire another feature winner today when Jaarffi (Pride Of Tralee) was beaten a nose by Provence in the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes over 1,600m at Ellerslie after suffering interference in the home straight.
Iffraaj currently stands at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket, England at £10,000, Oct 1, SLF.
