Trainer Jassim al-Ghazali with his horses Izzthatright (right) and Dubday after working on the gallops. PICTURE: Julian Herbert
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Shaqab Racing’s Dubday is all set to make a serious bid in the 12 furlong Al Rayyan Stakes at the Newbury racecourse on Saturday, May 16. The seven time winner will be making his debut in Britain after a glorious season in Qatar, where the Dubawi progeny remained unbeaten in six starts.
Dubday dominated the Thoroughbred Classics in Qatar, winning the HH The Emir Trophy and Qatar Gold Trophy twice followed with a victory in HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani Trophy and the Qatar Thoroughbred Derby.
Qatar champion trainer Jassim al-Ghazali is thrilled about seeing his stable star Dubday have his first start in Britain during the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes race meeting. “I am very happy to have a runner in England. For a few years I have been coming to the sales, but it is great to come over with a horse to try to win a race here, especially for an owner like HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani.”
Although last seen when finishing fifth behind Brown Panther in the Dubai Gold Cup over two miles back in March, al-Ghazali believes the drop back in trip will see Dubday in an even better light. “I am very happy with him. Though two miles was not his pet distance, Dubawi ran a good race during the World Cup day. He is better over either a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half. After the Dubai run we gave him a few days off, but we have not worked him too hard in Qatar.”
“I would like to see good ground for him at Newbury on Saturday and I hope it doesn’t rain. I am looking forward to seeing him run in the UK to see what sort of level he is at,” Ghazali added.
“For me England has the best racing in the world. Sure there is good racing in France and America, but for me it is not about the money but the prestige and quality of the racing.”
The five-year-old son of Dubawi, who is currently stabled at Oliver Sherwood’s yard in Lambourn, warmed up for his British debut when participating in a solo piece of work in the hands of Jean Pierre Guillambert on Monday.
Following Dubday’s appearance at Newbury, the seven-time winner will be transferred to Newmarket where he is likely to prepared for an outing at Glorious Goodwood. “After Dubday has run at Newbury, he will be heading to Newmarket where he will be stabled for three or four months. The hope is that he will race at Glorious Goodwood in a middle-distance race but we will talk to Sheikh Joaan first,” Ghazali explained.
Despite dominating the scene in Qatar over the past few years, al-Ghazali, who sent out 176 winners on his way to the title last season, is hoping he can pick up some training tips from his time spent in Suffolk. “Although I am champion trainer in Qatar, I hope to learn some new things from my time in Newmarket. I hope it will be a good experience as all the top trainers of the world will also be there. The experience here will help not only me but also the other trainers from Qatar who will also have runners during the race meeting.”
Sheikh Joaan has recently been honoured with the position of president of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), as his profile on the world sporting scene continues to rise.
He is the sixth president of the QOC since its creation in 1979 and was the ambassador for his country during the torch relay for the 2006 Asian Games, which were held in in Doha, as well as organising the World Handball Championships in January. Al-Ghazali said of Sheikh Joaan: “I think that Sheikh Joaan is the right man for this role as he is very enthusiastic about sport. There is a lot of work going on for the 2022 World Cup and I think it will be a magical event and will be the best ever World Cup that has been ever witnessed.”
Apart from Dubday, Ghazali has three other challengers in Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari owned Itorio, and Injaaz Stud’s Izzthatright, that are likely to be in the line-up during the race meeting.
In addition to al-Ghazali’s wards, five other horses from Qatar will be matching strides with the other international contenders on Saturday. Adel Ali al-Muslimani owned and Mohammed Hussain trained Bronze Maquette, Al Murqab Stud owned and Zuhair Mohsen saddled Peter Anders, Mubarak Saeed Aljafali al-Naimi owned and Majid Safedeen schooled Bwana, Rosso Corsa, Ahmed Kobeissi schooled Crescent and Matar Abdullah al-Mannai owned and Marco Botti trained Golden Steps carry Qatar hopes. They also have an opportunity to gauge their potential on the international stage.
