Jaarffi, the six-year-old daughter of Darley stallion Iffraaj, secured a deserved first G1 victory when taking the G1 Maori WFA Classic over 1,600m at Ellerslie on Saturday, 21 February.
Placed twice at the highest level last season in the G1 Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes and G1 Zabeel Classic, Jaarffi endured a wide run throughout but proved strongest late to defeat race favourite Pier by a head, with Provence three-quarters of a length away in third. The winner stopped the clock at 1:35.58 for the mile.
Bred by Brendan and Jo Lindsay and raced by Cambridge Stud, Jaarffi is out of the New Zealand mare Pride Of Tralee and is trained at Karaka by Lance Noble. Her record now stands at five wins and eight placings from 24 starts, with earnings of $953,590.
Jaarffi’s breakthrough came just a week after fellow Iffraaj son Al Haram captured the G3 Saudi Derby, adding further momentum to her sire’s international record.
Iffraaj has now sired 1,273 winners of 3,771 races worldwide, including 105 individual Stakes winners of 196 Black-Type races. He stands at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket, England, at a fee of price on application.
Jaarffi and Pier hit the line as one in the G1 Otaki Maori Classic at @Ellerslie_Races - and it's Jaarffi in a photo! 📸 pic.twitter.com/PXoSdTic0D
