Ciaron Maher filly Pharari gives Sandown 1000m record a nudge in ’very easy’ win

Fast filly Pharari went close to breaking the 1000m Sandown track record which has stood for 15 years in a soft win on Wednesday.

Mark Zahra combines with Pharari to win at Sandown on Wednesday in a near-course record time. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

Flying machine Pharari made best use of fast ground and a tailwind to get within half a second of the 1000m Sandown track record on Wednesday.

Ciaron Maher-trained Pharari stopped the clock at 55.57sec – just outside the mark Definitely Ready (55.07sec) set in 2009 – untouched under jockey Mark Zahra.

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“It was very easy,” Zahra said.

“I asked her inside the last 400m without getting to the bottom of her … she’s very fast, she had the wind at her back and she won well.

“I think she proved today she’s just not a wet tracker, Good 3 to win like that is encouraging, this time of year you’d be silly not to see if you can get a bit of black type with her, I think over 1000m you definitely can.”

Zoom, zoom, zoom 🔥

Pharari justifies the short quote & wins easily at Sandown 🚘 @cmaherracingpic.twitter.com/5ig30EHiKG

— Racing.com (@Racing) September 4, 2024

Favourite Pharari returned $1.45.

Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Pharari would step through the grades as a four-year-old before another dip in stakes company.

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She raced flat in the Listed Creswick Stakes last winter at the end of her three-year-old campaign.

“Running that time is pretty quick, only talented horses can do that and we probably want to keep her at 1000m,” Turnbull said.

Pharari sealed a Sandown double for Zahra after he piloted Giddy Up Warrior to victory in the first race for Lindsay Park trainers Ben, JD and Will Hayes.

Originally published as Ciaron Maher filly Pharari gives Sandown 1000m record a nudge in ’very easy’ win