Another stakes win for Ayrad

Ayrad in full flight at Sandown

Ayrad added another stakes win to his resume on Friday when bravely fending off Spark Plug to take the Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown.

Ayrad was in command throughout under Andrea Atzeni, dictating from the outset before kicking for home two furlongs out. Spark Plug laid down a challenge in the final furlong but was unable overhaul Ayrad, who scored readily by three-quarters of a length.

Now trained by Roger Charlton, Ayrad was winning for the third time. The son of Dalakhani was also successful in last year’s Tapster Stakes and has been stakes-placed on multiple occasions, notably this season when second in the Group 3 Aston Park Stakes and third in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes.

Ayrad was bought for 70,000gns by Tony Nerses out of the draft of his breeder Gerrardstown House Stud at Book 1 of the 2012 Tattersalls October Sale. A half-brother to our high-class three-year-old Dawn Of Hope, he is out of Sweet Firebird, a Listed-placed Sadler’s Wells half-sister to top sprinter Stravinsky.