Jockey Julien Auge leads Al Shaqab’s Al Mouwaffak to victory in the HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Gr2 PA) Prix de Carthage – Hannibal) in Toulouse, France.
Agencies/Paris
Al Shaqab’s Al Mouwaffak won the HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Gr2 PA) Prix de Carthage – Hannibal) on Friday in Toulouse, France.
The half-brother to the talented Al Sakbe arrived in Toulouse as favourite after success in the Qatar Total Arabian Trophy for Colts (Gr1 PA), at Saint Cloud last October. On his return to the track, Al Mouwaffak showed his strength when beating his elders. He is now unbeaten in four starts and he looks to be one of the main hopes for the 2015 season.
The Thomas Fourcy trained Al Mouwaffak sat in last position before coming wide around the final bend. He took the lead under a hands-and-heels ride from Julien Auge and held off the challenge of Ghadanfar Al Khalediah halfway up the straight. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani’s Amaar was third. Al Mouwaffak would now head directly to Group 1 level on June 14, at Chantilly, in the Qatar Derby for four-year-old pure Arabians.
“He was taking on his elders today,” said winning jockey Julien Auge. “He had already proven that he has a lot of quality. The problem today was that we were drawn one. They didn’t go very quickly, so I had to be careful not to get caught for speed. He was a little fresh for his return. I took the lead a little too easily, but he was a class above the others and held off all attacks. If he had already had a run, he would have won even more easily.”