Markab (horse)

After being transferred to the stable of Henry Candy he belatedly emerged as a top-class performer at the age of seven in 2010 when he won the Greenlands Stakes in Ireland before recording his biggest win in the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup.

[3] Markab's dam Hawafiz showed some ability as a racecourse, winning two of her five races in 2000 and 2001,[4] and was a distant female-line descendant of the influential British broodmare Molly Adare.

Markab did not run for his new connections until September when he contested a handicap race over seven and a half furlongs on good to firm ground at Chester Racecourse.

Two weeks later the gelding was assigned a weight of 127 pounds for the Great St Wilfrid Stakes over six furlongs at Ripon Racecourse and started the 7/2 favourite against sixteen opponents.

After racing prominently from the start he made a forward move in the last quarter mile gained the advantage inside the final furlong and won by a neck and a short head from Tamagin and Advanced.

He was then moved up to Group Three class for the first time to contest the Bengough Stakes at Ascot on 10 October and dead-heated for fifth place, three and a half lengths behind the winner Royal Rock.

As a seven-year-old, Markab began his campaign in a minor stakes race at Thirsk Racecourse on 17 April and led from the start before winning by a neck from the Barry Hills-trained favourite Damien.

[14] In May he was sent to Ireland for the Group Three Greenlands Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh and started 100/30 favourite in an eleven-runner field with the best-fancied of his rivals being Alfred Nobel, Jimmy Styles (Ayr Gold Cup) and the Listed winner Rain Delayed.

On 4 September Markab was one of thirteen horses to contest the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup over six furlongs on good-to-firm ground at Haydock Park and started at odds of 12/1.

Starspangledbanner was made favourite, whilst the other runners included Kingsgate Native, Regal Parade, Lady of the Desert (Lowther Stakes) and Borderlescott.

Despite edging towards the centre of the track in the closing stages and won from Lady of the Desert, Genki, Kingsgate Native, Starspangledbanner and Regal Parade, all of whom were racing on the opposite side of the course.

[21] In his two remaining races he finished unplaced behind Moonlight Cloud in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and then ran fourth when favourite for the Listed Starlit Stakes at Goodwood in September.

[22] Markab ended his racing career in the Listed Hopeful Stakes in which he set the pace before being overtaken in the final furlong and beaten a length into second place by Hitchens.