Mufajaah, winner of two stakes this year, retired

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Mufajaah, the winner of the first two races in Oaklawn’s route series for fillies and mares, has been retired and is scheduled to be bred to Quality Road, trainer Dan Peitz said Monday. Mufajaah, 4, ran third in the Grade 2, $300,000 Azeri at Oaklawn in her most recent out March 14.

Mufajaah was shipped last week to owner Shadwell Stable’s farm in Lexington, Ky., said Peitz. He said that as a general rule, Shadwell does not race many of its fillies as 4-year-olds, and if a filly does run at 4, her season tends to wrap up early in the year. Mufajaah won the $100,000 Pippin by three lengths at Oaklawn on Jan. 17. She then returned to capture the Grade 3 Bayakoa here by a neck Feb. 15.

“She was going to go home after the first stakes,” Peitz said. “When she won, everyone said, ‘We’ll run her one more time.’ She won again, and we went to the Azeri. Had she won the Azeri, then she would have definitely gone to the Apple Blossom.”

Peitz, who has long believed that Mufajaah was of stakes quality, has been delighted with her season at Oaklawn. Mufajaah is a deep closer, and he was pleased with her effort in the Azeri, which was won wire to wire by Gold Medal Dancer.

“We’re proud of her,” he said. “It was a paceless race, and she just had no shot. I’m glad we got to keep her as long as we did.”

◗ Ivan Fallunovalot had a major work for next month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Tuesday, breezing five furlongs in a bullet 59.80 seconds. Clocker Ronnie Morse had his final quarter in 23.40. Jockey Calvin Borel was aboard for trainer Tom Howard.