Reports from overseas indicate that 2023 Maple Leaf Trot winner Alrajah One IT (Maharajah) is headed back to Europe.
A multiple European Group 1 stakes-winning trotter before his North American career, the son of the Varenne mare Mariu captured the Italian Trotting Derby, Gran Premio d’Europa, Gran Premio Freccia d’Europa and the Gran Premio Continentale.
He left Europe after his five-year-old season.
Campaigned in North America by Ake Svanstedt, Alrajah One had an extremely successful stint on this side of the Atlantic over the past two seasons despite making just eight starts. The trotter sped to scores in the 2022 Crawford Farms Trot, Spirit of Massachusetts and Cashman Memorial in 2022 before being sidelined due to injury just before the 2022 Maple Leaf Trot.
Alrajah One returned almost a year to the day after that missed Maple Leaf Trot to score in the 2023 edition, winning in a Canadian record and lifetime best mile time of 1:50.2 — a time he matched in the 2023 Allerage Open Trot.
He finished seventh as the beaten favourite in the 2023 Breeders Crown, then finished sixth after making a break in the 2023 FanDuel Open Trot.
“The American trip was fantastic and stratospheric,” owner Vincenzo Izzo told Italian publication Equos. “I would even say beyond all possible predictions, so much so that the horse has now built an exceptional image in the USA too. But at a certain point I convinced myself that it was a parenthesis that needed to be closed.”
According to Izzo, Alrajah One received substantial offers to stand continue to stand the horse in North America but wanted him to return to Italy.
“He is a precious exponent of Italian breeding, he is our heritage and I didn’t like the idea that he would have to remain in the USA forever. And then he is very fertile, if you consider that with frozen semen he had a very high percentage of mares becoming pregnant, which is never easy to achieve.”
During the breeding season, Izzo indicated that Alrajah One would resume training but noted that a decision has yet to be made on who would train and campaign the horse in Europe.
Alrajah One racing career:
1th Gran Premio Freccia d´Europa GR I
1th Gran Premio Unione Europea GR I
1th Giuseppe Biasuzzi GR I
1th Gran Premio Continentale GR I
1th Gran Premio di Cittá Padova GR III
1th 92 Derby Trotto Finale GR I
2nd Gran Premio Tino Triossi GR I
3rd Premio Duomo GR I
2nd Gran Premio Societá TermeGR III
3rd Gran Premio Cittá di Napoli GR I
1th Leaf Trot ($530.000)
1th John Cashman Memorial ($279.000)
1th Spirit of Massachusetts ($250.000)
1th Crawford Farms Open Trot ($147.000)
1th Allerage Farms ($135.000)
2nd Dayton Trotting Derby Grand Circuit Stake
Alrajah One, multiple Group winner who is a son of the elite stallion Maharajah and Mariú 1.12.8/83.958 Euro. (Varenne)
Mariú is also the mother of the full sister Faharajah One with three starts and one win, Demoiselle 1.15,6/6477 Euro winner in Premio Locandiera and Baby Silvy One (unstarted)
Granddam is Salindia by Sandy Bowl, mother to Dionea 1.12,3*/€122.110 (Park Avenue Joe), who left Zenobia Font, 3rd in Gran Criterium Filly 2017.
Alrajah One’s first litter in Italy are born 2022
First offspring on the track: (11 october)
Genuss del Ronco (Tina del Ronco/Zola Boko) qualified 22 june 1.19,8
Glamor Vf (Ma Vie 1.12,4 /Credit Winner) qualified 18 July 1.18,8
Gasgas BFC (Uma Francis 1.11,9 /Exploit Caf) qualified 4 october 1.20,0. Won at Trieste 15 november in the first start
(Mother Uma Francis €359,978 has crossed the finish line first in GR I, GR II and GR III races.)
STALLION:
Mare
