Ya Malak
Ya Malak (18 January 1991 – ca. 25 March 1999) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he won ten of his forty-nine races in a track career which lasted from May 1993 until September 1998. In his first three seasons he showed consistent form, winning the City Walls Stakes in 1994 Achilles Stakes in the following year. He appeared to lose his form as a five-year-old and was sold cheaply at auction at the end of the season. After entering the stable of David Nicholls in 1997 he improved into a top class performer, winning the Epsom Dash and the Sprint Stakes before recording his biggest success when dead-heating for the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes. His victory in the Nunthorpe made Alex Greaves the first woman to ride a Group One winner in Europe. The gelding failed to win at seven and died the following spring after complications arising from colic surgery. Background Ya Malak was a bay horse bred in the United Kingdom by Bobby and Helen Kennard. He was sired by Fairy King, an American-bred stallion who was retired after sustaining an injury after a single racecourse appearance in Ireland. He became a very successful breeding stallion, siring major winners including Turtle Island, Helissio, Oath and Falbrav. Ya Malak's dam La Tuerta was a useful sprint handicapper who won three races from eleven starts and earned a Timeform rating of 96 in 1995. She was a daughter of Smarten Up who won dead-heated for the Temple Stakes in 1978 who also produced the outstanding sprinter Cadeaux Genereux. As a yearling the colt was sent to the Tattersalls sales in September 1992 and was bought for 73,000 guineas by the British Bloodstock Agency. The horse entered the ownership of G Jabre and was sent into training with John "Pip" Payne at Newmarket, Suffolk. Racing career 1993: two-year-old season As a two-year-old in 1993, Ya Malak was ridden in all six of his starts by Ray Cochrane. He made his debut by finishing third in a maiden race over five furlongs at Windsor Racecourse on 10 May and recorded his first success in a similar event at Ripon Racecourse two weeks later. He was then moved up in class and was beaten in his next three races: he finished fifth in the Norfolk Stakes, second in the Dragon Stakes and fourth in the Flying Childers Stakes. On his final appearance of the year in a minor event at Warwick Racecourse in October. Starting the 4/7 favourite he led from the start and won by one and a half lengths from Moscow Road. 1994: three-year-old season As a three-year-old, Ya Malak began his season in minor events, finishing second at Haydock Park in April and then winning at Beverley Racecourse in May. In June he finished unplaced in the Epsom Dash, and second at Sandown Park before winning at Nottingham Racecourse. On 9 July he started 2/1 favourite for the City Walls Stakes over five furlongs at Chester Racecourse.