Mostahdaf sparkles with September success

Mostahdaf proved much too good for his seven rivals in the Group Three Unibet September Stakes at Kempton.

The four-year-old, trained by John and Thady Gosden, made it three wins in three runs on the all-weather, with a decisive two-and-three-quarters-length success in the 12-furlong contest.

Dane O’Neill was content to sit handy in the early stages aboard Mostahdaf as Solid Stone and Richard Kingscote set the fractions, yet he cruised on the bridle and the response from the 6-1 shot was immediate when his rider asked him to quicken approaching two furlongs out.

He quickly put daylight between himself and his rivals, with 10-11 favourite Dubai Honour staying on nicely from a long way back to claim second, a further length in front of Universal Order.

The winner holds an entry in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for which he was installed at 33-1 with Paddy Power, but future targets have yet to be discussed.

Thady Gosden said: “He ran well. He obviously had a little bit of a break after Newmarket.

“They went steady early on and he quickened up nicely. Dane gave him a great ride. He let him go when he wanted to, when they quickened up.

“The horse seems to have come back to his old form. He is versatile in terms of surface, although he is unbeaten on the all-weather.

“He was entered in the Arc earlier in the year. Sheika Hissa and Shadwell will decide what they want to do.”