Sayf El Arab

After finishing fourth on his racecourse debut over five furlongs Sayf El Arab recorded his first success when odds-on favourite for a minor race over the same distance at Newmarket Racecourse in May. He was then stepped up in class for the National Stakes in June and finished second of the five runners, beaten a head by Krayyan. He was later found to have sustained minor fracture to his cannon bone which affected his form for the rest of the season. After being beaten in his next two starts over six furlongs,[3] Sayf El Arab was dropped back in trip for the five furlong Highflyer Stakes at Thirsk Racecourse in September. Equipped with blinkers for the first time he won by a length from Jonacris, who was carrying twelve pounds more. He ended the season bay finishing fourth in a race over five furlongs.[2]

Sayf El Arab's form in the spring of 1983 was undistinguished although his trainer pointed out that he was not suited to the prevailing soft ground: he finished unplaced in the Quail Stakes at Kempton Park in April, the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket and the Prix de Saint-Georges at Longchamp Racecourse in May. The colt raced much firmer ground conditions and was re-fitted with blinkers when he was stepped up to Group One class for the first time for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ridden by the lightweight Myrddin "Taffy" Thomas he started a 33/1 outsider whilst his stablemate On Stage was made the 11/4 favourite in a sixteen-runner field. The other runners included Fearless Lad, Soba (Stewards' Cup), Salieri (Mill Reef Stakes), Kind Music (Prix du Gros Chêne), Krayyan, Jonacris, Touch Boy (Portland Handicap), Chellaston Park (runner-up in 1982) and Prince Reymo (Windsor Castle Stakes). Sayf El Arab started quickly, took an early lead and never looked in any danger of defeat and drew away in the final furlong to win by three lengths from Soba with On Stage in third place. He was the longest-priced winner of the race since Squander Bug in 1948 and enabled Bill O'Gorman to emulate his father Paddy who had trained the winner in 1958 and 1963.[3][6]

After an absence of well over two months, Sayf El Arab was tried over six furlongs in the Haydock Sprint Cup but after going well for most of the way he tired in the closing stages and finished fifth of the six runners behind Habibti. Five days later he returned to the minimum distance for the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse and finished fifth behind Soba. He ended his season in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp on 2 October in which he started a 30/1 outsider and ran accordingly, finishing sixth of seven behind Habibti.[3]

After running unplaced on his first run of 1984, Sayf El Arab won the Quail Stakes at Kempton in April by a length from El Gazebo, recording his first and only victory over six furlongs. He was then matched against Habibti in the Leisure Stakes at Lingfield Park in early June and was beaten a length into second place by the filly. At Royal Ascot two weeks later the blinkers were re-applied as the colt attempted to repeat his 1983 success in the King's Stand Stakes. After setting a "scorching" pace in the early running he was overtaken but held on to finish third behind Habibti and Anita's Prince.[7] In July he was sent to Ireland for the Phoenix Sprint Stakes at Phoenix Park Racecourse and dead-heated for second place behind the three-year-old filly Princess Tracy. In his two remaining races he finished a close-up fifth behind Celestial Dancer in the Prix de Meautry at Deauville Racecourse and then ran poorly when unplaced behind the Irish mare Committed in the William Hill Sprint Championship at York Racecourse in August.