- Races: 10, Wins: 5
- Foaled: 17 February 1996
- Breeder: Newgate Stud Company
- Breeder: Newgate Stud Compan
- Trainer: Henry Cecil
- Owner: Prince Fahd Salman
Ramruma Famous Horserace History
Ramruma was foaled in 1996, a sister to useful Ausherra and Royal Scimitar. She is closely related to 2 other winners and half-sister to several winners. Her dam Princess of Man won the Musidora Stakes. At home, she’s known as Bam Bam!
Ramruma’s career started unspectactularly. She was winless as a two year old. She lost her maiden tag at Newmarket in April 1999, and followed up by taking the Oaks Trial at Lingfield in May. However, her biggest win came in June 1999 Ramruma landed the Vodafone Oaks. In doing so, Henry Cecil celebrated his 21st British Classic victory as Ramruma exposed the stamina limitations of her opponents in the Vodafone Oaks at Epsom on Friday. The Warren Place trainer travelled to the Downs with 20 victories in British Classics to his name, including five in the Oaks.
Ramruma carried him to the 21-mark – and gave Kieren Fallon his fourth win in a Classic – when holding off 33-1 outsider Noushkey for the £139,860 first prize.
Ramruma
The 9-4 favourite Zahrat Dubai, who appeared to find the mile and a half beyond her, in third. Aware that the sluggish early pace would not work for his partner, Fallon held 3-1 shot Ramruma in second place as Claxon led. With well over two furlongs to race, the Co Clare man finally decided enough was enough and sent Ramruma into the lead. As Noushkey, who had finished third to the Cecil filly in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, chased the winner past Claxon, Frankie Dettori began to ride Zahrat Dubai, who never looked like closing. At the line Ramruma had three lengths to spare over Noushkey, with five back to Zahrat Dubai.
Cecil, who took nervous and sharp drags on his pre-race cigarette, in contrast to Ramruma who was relaxed in demeanour in the paddock before sweating at the start, explained how he has earned his reputation as something of a ladies’ man. Cecil, who has produced fillies to win 13 domestic Classics, said: “They are amusing and they have got character. If they are a bit silly, you let them get away with it and they enjoy themselves. I find them fascinating and I have been very lucky with them,” added Cecil, who has hardly been short of luck with colts, having won the Derby with Slip Anchor, Reference Point and Commander In Chief, and bids for a fourth with Oath on Saturday. Ramruma is good and she is improving. She is tough, she stays and she has got class – all the things I haven’t got!”
Asked as to future plans for Ramruma, Cecil went on: “I think with a filly like that – she is very feminine – the sensible thing would be the Irish Oaks and the Yorkshire Oaks. The St Leger could be a very good race for her.”
Winning owner Fahd Salman, whose brother Ahmed runs the Thoroughbred Corporation, in whose colours Oath competes, gave the chestnut daughter of Diesis the nickname of his five-year-old daughter Reema. Prince Fahd, whose Generous won the Derby in 1991, spent the day in Riyadh, “working hard to pay Henry’s fees” – according to his younger brother, who had accepted a kiss from Sheikh Mohammed shortly after a prolonged mouth-to-mouth with Ramruma.
After a leisurely walk round the paddock, Zahrat Dubai was the last of the runners to take a saddle, her attendants adjusting here and there like a Formula One pit team. Typically of Godolphin, nothing was left to chance as Dettori dismounted on the way to the stalls in the hope of saving the Musidora winner every last joule of energy before flagfall. But nothing could paper over her stamina shortcomings.
Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford offered: “She was on edge at the start but she ran for us today. She travelled but just didn’t get home. Basically, she didn’t get the trip. We will drop her back to 10 furlongs.”
Fallon, whose relationship with Cecil many predicted would not see out the summer of 1997, was completing the 1000 Guineas/Oaks double for the second time in three years.
The jockey, successful on Wince last month, had won the Classics on Sleepytime and Reams of Verse two years ago, and was mindful that the main danger to Ramruma came from the inadequate initial gallop.
“I didn’t think they went very quick and I knew she’d stay, so I made it a test,” he said, explaining the move at the top of the straight. “It worked out well for us. When you are in front, you’re always thinking something is going to come at you, but, thank God, they didn’t.”
Fallon, whose body language with Cecil bears none of the tension of two years last spring, continued: “She is quite lazy in her work at home, which is a good thing in a way. My job is easy – the boss has the hard job.”
On 11th July 1999, Ramruma strolled to success in the Irish Oaks at a sun-splashed Curragh. Taking control rounding the final bend, jockey Kieren Fallon quickly asserted his superiority aboard Henry Cecil’s fast improving filly which had a seven length victory margin as she followed up her Epsom triumph in the colours of owner-breeder Prince Fahd Salman.
“She felt a stronger and better filly than at Epsom. Mentally and physically she has come on and we were always going to win,” said Fallon as the 4-9 favourite returned to a generous ovation in the winners’ enclosure.
The Yorkshire Oaks is next on the agenda for the daughter of Diesis followed by a crack at the Rothmans Royals St Leger according to Cecil, who has high hopes of Fallon’s mount making a bold bid for a third Classic of the season.
“As she had some soreness in her back after winning at Lingfield she is even better now than at Epsom,” the trainer said. “She is a very good filly and improving all the time, but we will get the Yorkshire Oaks and the St Leger over first before we think about retiring her or staying on next season.”
Henry Cecil’s sparkling filly Ramruma chalked up her fifth successive victory of the year in the Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks in August 1999.
The top middle-distance three-year-old filly further stamped her credentials with a impressive win from the front. Pat Eddery sent Ramruma to the fore in the early stages and kept her nose in front throughout from her rivals who all flattered to deceive. Eddery’s tactics of drawing the sting from the field worked perfectly as each challenge fell by the wayside. The lazy type always did just enough to foil any pretenders. The 5-6 favourite owned by Prince Fahd Salman chalked up a one and a quarter-lengths win over 33-1 outsider Ela Athena, with Silver Rhapsody 11-1 two lengths back. Afterwards proud owner Prince Fahd Salman donated £10,000 to a charity of spinal injuries to celebrate his victory.
“Today she was wonderful. She is very lazy but she would not let anyone pass her. I am very proud of her and would like to keep her in training as a four-year-old if possible.”
Ramruma next appeared at Doncaster for the St Leger where she was sent off the odds on favourite. She beat all home bar Mutafaweq in a thrilling race. Some fancied that they heard the bucket hit the bottom of the well at York in August, when her third consecutive Group One success was leavened with a new strain of dourness. Henry Cecil, her trainer, was naturally disappointed not to match his 1985 achievement by winning four of the five Classics, but said: “She ran a great race, the first time she has met the colts. She seemed to get the trip, better than anything but the winner. She just faltered in the last furlong. Whether it was the time of year or whether she did not get the trip, or whether the colt was better or stronger, I don’t know. It was meant to be a staying race, and the rest are quite a long way behind, aren’t they? She’ll be back next year, but she will have a rest now. She has had a long year.”
On her 2000 comeback, Ramruma tackled the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket but sustained a back injury, finishing last. However, she recovered and in August lined up for the Yorkshire Oaks at York. She ran a fair race but was not able to show her old form. Again, Ramruma failed to show her old sparkle in the Riggs Bank Harvest Stakes at Newmarket and tailed home third behind Riyafa. This was to be her last run, and Ramruma was retired. As a Classic winning mare, her progeny will be sought after.
Triple Oaks heroine Ramruma is retired Salman filly off to the paddocks after disappointing at Ascot Racing Post 25/09/2000
RAMRUMA, who scaled the heights as a triple Oaks heroine last season, was retired yesterday after finishing a disappointing third at Ascot. Owner Fahd Salman decided to call a halt following her effort in the Listed Riggs Bank Harvest Stakes.
After a season that began unfortunately, with Ramruma finishing lame at Newmarket, yesterday’s race was designated as a launch pad to a final flourish in the Breeders’ Cup. But the 4-5 favourite fell way short of expectations when beaten four and a half lengths behind Riyafa. Salman said: “I tried to be sporting about the whole thing and kept her in training as a four-year-old. She pulled a muscle in her first race this year but ran extremely well to be third in the Yorkshire Oaks.
“The soft ground did not help, but I’m not making excuses and I think the honourable thing to do now is to retire her to stud. She’s done me very proud and will always be my favourite filly. Although I wasn’t there, I’ll never forget her victory in the Oaks at Epsom. We’re talking about which sire to send her to, but it will possibly be Sadler’s Wells.
“It’s a shame the season didn’t come off, but I’ll keep on doing what I did if I have a filly like that again. I’m looking forward to the future.”
Ramruma, a daughter of Diesis out of 1978 Musidora winner Princess Of Man, was trained by Henry Cecil to win five of her 11 starts. She accumulated £543,188 in win and place prize-money, all her victories coming in an impressive sequence between April and August last year.
After landing the Lingfield Oaks Trial, she then captured the Classic itself by three lengths. A seven-length winner of the Irish Oaks, she went on to prove her worth against older horses by adding the Yorkshire Oaks to her impressive record.
-Ramruma was upped in distance for the St Leger and ran a valiant race, only to give best to Godolphin’s Mutafaweq. Salman had originally hoped to target the filly at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as a four-year-old, a race that had eluded his dual Derby winner Generous. But the setback she suffered at Newmarket in May this year ensured that that campaign never got off the ground.
Race Wins
18 Aug 99 York 1m 4f £119,500 Yorkshire Oaks Group 1 Going: Good-Firm
11 July 99 Curragh 1m 4f £118,700 Kildangan Irish Oaks Group 1 Going: Good-Firm
04 June 99 Epsom 1m 4f £177,000 Vodafone Oaks Group 1 Going: Good
Lingfield 1m 3f 106yds £12,755 Victor Chandler Oaks Trial Listed Going: Good to firm, Good in places
13 Apr 99 Newmarket 1m 4f £4,305 April Maiden Stakes Class D
