After nearly six months away from racing and competing against male horses, 6-year-old mare Egyptian Mau secured her first U.S. graded stakes victory in the $200,000 Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint at Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. Trained by Neil Drysdale, the mare pulled off a surprising 31-1 win, marking her first graded stakes triumph since capturing the 2023 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes (G3) in South Africa.
Jockey Antonio Fresu, who rode Egyptian Mau for the first time in this race, shared with America’s Day at the Races that he had watched her previous performances at Santa Anita and Keeneland and noticed her strong finishing burst. “When the rail opened up, I guided her there, and she responded brilliantly, giving a powerful kick at the finish,” he explained.
Fresu and Egyptian Mau had both raced on the Southern California circuit a year prior, but after Fresu relocated to Belmont Park in September, this victory marked his first graded stakes win at his new base. Starting from post 4, Egyptian Mau settled into sixth place along the rail through the quarter-mile in 23.19 seconds and the half-mile in 45.83 seconds. Approaching the stretch still in fifth, Fresu found an opening along the rail, allowing Egyptian Mau to surge past the favorite, Walaro, to win by a neck.
The final time for the six-furlong sprint on firm turf was 1:08.85. Walaro finished second, narrowly beating third-place Chasing Liberty by a head, with ten horses entering the race.
Assistant trainer John O’Donoghue praised the mare’s tenacity, saying, “I feared she might tire toward the end after such a long layoff, but she fought hard right to the wire. That’s her running style. It was thrilling to watch and surpassed all our expectations.”
Egyptian Mau was bred in South Africa by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein. She is a daughter of Fire Away, a War Front stallion, out of Savannah Cat (by Fort Wood).
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on October 1, 2026, appearing first in their News section.
Fan Take: Egyptian Mau’s impressive return proves that seasoned mares can still compete and win at the highest levels, even against male contenders, offering fresh excitement for horse racing enthusiasts. This win highlights the growing international influence in U.S. racing and could inspire more global talent to compete stateside, enriching the sport’s diversity and competitiveness.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
