Welwal impresses at Longchamp on Sunday
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Welwal (3 c ex Cheriearch by Arch) stayed on in the closing stages of Sunday's Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr 3, 1600m) at Longchamp, providing Arrowfield Stud shuttler Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) with his sixth stakes winner.
Owned by Al Shaqab Racing, the colt beat Mathletic (Kingman) by a neck, with Making Moovies (Dabirsim) another length and a quarter back in third. The winner now looks a likely contender for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr 1, 1600m) next month.
Welwal was bought by Mandore International Agency on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing for €80,000 at the 2020 Arqana Deauville August Select Yearling Sale when offered by Capucines. He is out of the Listed winning mare Cheriearch (Arch) and is one of five winners for his dam.
Shalaa's stakes winners are headed by his Group 1 winning daughter No Speak Alexander. His other stakes winners are Seven Veils, Shaquero, Semillion and King Shalaa while he is also the sire of eight stakes place getters.