Jassim Mohamed Ghazali’s stranglehold on the trainer’s championship continued as he capped the 2017-18 season with four winners on the final day of racing, including Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari’s Acrobate, winner of season-ending Al Karana Cup, at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) yesterday.
In the penultimate race of the day, Al Jassasiya Cup for local Thoroughbreds, Qatari trainer-jockey duo of Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani and Faleh Bughanaim emerged as winners with Mohamed bin Hamad Khalifa al-Attiyah’s Al Lusail beating half-brother Footprintinthesand, helmed by Saleem Golam, in the seven-furlong run.
In the final race of the season, JP Guillambert had Acrobate stay on the heels of Stephan Ladjadj-ridden Topsy Turvy, the favourite, before taking the advantage a furlong out in the miler.
Under Bughanaim’s ride, al-Ramzani ward Vitally Important moved on to the rails and moved forward to threaten Acrobate, but the latter held on well to win by a length, while Zuhair Mohsen-trained Bluebeard, with Gerald Avranche in the saddle, beat Ibrahim al-Malki-saddled Topsy Turvy for the third spot.
“In this business, you are only as good as the horse you are riding. On paper, he didn’t seem to have a chance but he went right till the end and did well to win,” Guillambert, who picked up his 24th win for the season, told Gulf Times yesterday.
“As far as the season goes, for jockeys, if there are no injuries, it’s a good season, and fortunately that’s how it was this season.”
Ghazali was palpably beaming with pride at the end of the day. “I had been training my horses to peak at the right time for the big races, and they did exactly that. To win seven races in the final week of racing, it’s a great feeling,” Ghazali said.
Ghazali had three more winners on the day, with Marc Lerner helming two, including Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari’s Deebaj and Shaheen bin Khalid Shaheen al-Ghanim’s Galactic Prince, and Jean Baptiste Hamel guiding Injaaz Stud’s Wayside Flower.
Deebaj started with a hat-trick of her own, closing out her season with her third straight victory, winning the mile-long Purebred Arabian Handicap event yesterday.
When Lerner let her go on the home straight, and he did so in time, the filly took off on the outside to edge out the competition at the line by half a length. Alban de Mieulle’s ward, Diese, and Hossin Mohamed Ashour-trained Arbed had been jostling for the lead on the home straight before they had to settle for second and third respectively.
In the 2400m Class 2 Thoroughbreds run, Lerner and Galactic Prince had to deal with traffic coming on to the final straight, and after he moved up front alongside Ahmed Kobeissi-schooled Hall of Mirrors, the former had won with a nose in the front at the line.
Wayside Flower brushed aside a lull in her results to end the season on a high with a win in the Class 3 Thoroughbreds event for fillies and mares. The four-year-old picked up a fine win, beating Stephan Ladjadj-helmed Harry’s Dancer by a length for the win, with another Ghazali ward, Lerner-ridden Hillside Dream, making it to the top three in the miler.
Injaaz Stud’s Third Order edged out al-Kuwari’s Perigee in a thrilling finish to register his first victory on turf in Qatar. Tadgh O’Shea’s mount and JP Guillambert-ridden Perigee both picked up pace almost 200m out on the outside and eased past early leader Mind of Madness, with Khadija Abdulwahed in the saddle, to top the mile-long Thoroughbred Handicap event.
Mohamed Riyaz-trained Third Order won by a quarter of a length, while French Encore was third under Qatari jockey Faleh Bughanaim.
Al Shahania Stud’s E’zaaz made it two in a row as Stephan Ladjadj guided Pierre Deymonaz’s charge to a victory in the six-furlong Thoroughbred Handicap event for horses rated 80 and below.
The colt has shown versatility having shed his maiden status over a mile, following it up with a victory over a sprint yesterday. The five-year-old beat Hassan al-Matwi’s Jalwa Al Jazeera, with Saleem Golam in the saddle, by a little less than six lengths.
Earlier in the day, Zuhair Mohsen-saddled Al Mikdam went one better than his last outing to shed his maiden status on the final day of racing, after having despite having seven top-three finishes so far this season. Under Gerald Avranche, the colt topped the card-opening Thoroughbred Maiden Plate event.
Mohsen also had a one-two later in the day, with Avranche yet again guiding the winner, this time in the colours of Mohamed Abdulla al-Moadhadi. Saar did enough at the line to edge out early leader Al Watan, ridden by O’Shea, by a length at the line.

RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Al Mikdam (Gerald Avranche), 2. Istibdad (Marc Lerner), 3. Flower Festival (Stephan Ladjadj), 4. Holy Roman Prince (Tadgh O’Shea). Won by: 1, 1/2, 3 1/2. Time: 1:38.31. Owner: Shafi Mohamed al-Shafi. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen.
Race 2: 1. E’zaaz (Stephan Ladjadj), 2. Jalwa Al Jazeera (Saleem Golam), 3. Shmoos (Almotasem al-Balushi), 4. Ellianka (Tadgh O’Shea). Won by: 5 3/4, 2 3/4, 1. Time: 1:18.54. Owner: Al Shahania Stud. Trainer: Pierre Deymonaz.
Race 3: 1. Saar (Gerald Avranche), 2. Al Watan (Tadgh O’Shea), 3. Latamah (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Damsah (Saleem Golam). Won by: 1, 1, 1 1/4. Time: 1:40.79. Owner: Mohamed Abdulla al-Moadhadi. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen Zuhair Maki.
Race 4: 1. Third Order (Tadgh O’Shea), 2. Perigee (JP Guillambert), 3. French Encore (Faleh Bughanaim), 4. China Club (Jean Baptiste Hamel). Won by: 1/4, 3 1/4, 1 1/2. Time: 1:37.43. Owner: Injaaz Stud. Trainer: Mohamed Riyaz Ibrahim Kasim.
Race 5: 1. Deebaj (Marc Lerner), 2. Diese (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Arbed (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 4. Abercrombie (Saleem Golam). Won by: 1/2, Nk, 3/4. Time: 1:46.41. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 6: 1. Wayside Flower (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Harry’s Dancer (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Hillside Dream (Marc Lerner), 4. Mango Tango (Saleem Golam). Won by: 1, 1 3/4, 7 1/4. Time: 1:36.54. Owner: Injaaz Stud. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 7: 1. Galactic Prince (Marc Lerner), 2. Hall Of Mirrors (Adnan Hawa), 3. Quelindo (Carlo Fiocchi), 4. Qatari Gold (Gerald Avranche). Won by: Shd, 1, No. Time: 2:31.59. Owner: Shaheen bin Khalid Shaheen al-Ghanim. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 8: 1. Al Lusail (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. Footprintinthesand (Saleem Golam), 3. Montaser (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 4. Mosayter (Marc Lerner). Won by: 2 3/4, Hd, 1 3/4. Time: 1:25.06. Owner: Mohamed bin Hamad Khalifa al-Attiyah. Trainer: Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani.
Race 9: 1. Acrobate (JP Guillambert), 2. Vitally Important (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Bluebeard (Gerald Avranche), 4. Topsy Turvy (Stephan Ladjadj). Won by: 1, 1/4, 2 1/4. Time: 1:36.19. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.




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