Razy wins HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy

Jockey Mickael Barzalona guided Wathnan Racing’s Razy to HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy victory at the Rayan Racecourse on Thursday.Alban de Mieulle-trained five-year-old gelding won the 1,600m race for Local Purebred Arabians for four-year-old+, to give the trio their third victory of the day. It was also an impressive 1-2-3 for the winning owner and trainer with Nesrine finishing second and Bakir finishing third. Only a head and a further head separated the first three.Earlier, The HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Cup, a Gr 2 race for Purebred Arabians over 1,600m, saw a thrilling blanket finish with the Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohamed F N al-Thani-owned and Mohamed Salama Ashour-trained Eifrit getting the better of his tough rivals AJS Jamran and Al Wakrah by a nose and neck respectively to land the spoils.His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, in the presence of Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, QREC Chairman, crowned the winners of the race.Trainer M H K al-Attiyah and jockey Szczepan Mazur made it a quick-fire double as they took the HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Silver Cup thanks to AJS Lattam, who is also owned and bred by Al Jeryan Stud.The four-year-old colt bounced back to excellent form, winning the 1600m race for Purebred Arabians by almost two lengths, taking his career record to five wins in seven starts.For the second straight year, AJS Berline won the Gr3 PA Majd Al Arab Sprinter Championship, keeping the title for her owner and breeder Al Jeryan Stud and trainer M H K al-Attiyah.Again, under the same jockey Szczepan Mazur, the seven-year-old mare sped two and a half lengths clear of the field to win the 1100m race impressively.The Umm Qarn Trophy, an open race for Thoroughbreds, saw the same trainer/jockey pair of Alban de Mieulle and Mickael Barzalona team up with Bolthole and complete a quick-fire double, also in the colours of Wathnan Racing, as the five-year-old horse took the 2,000m contest by a length, getting one better in his second start in Qatar.The French King Cup, a 1,600m Local Thoroughbreds race, saw the impressive Equinoxe, owned by Wathnan Racing, repeating the same scenario of last year scoring a head victory. In doing so, the seven-year-old horse retained the same title for the third year in a row for trainer Alban de Mieulle with Mickael Barzalona onboard this time around. Harb came second.Sheikha Alanood bint Abdullah al-Thani, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, of Education Above All, presented the trophies to the winners.RESULTS 20th Al Rayyan Meeting: HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Cups & Trophy DayWINNERS: Horse, Trainer, Jockey)1 - HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani TrophyRazy, Alban de Mieulle, Mickael Barzalona2 - HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin KhalifaAl Thani CupEifrit, Mohamed Salama Ashour, Jefferson Smith3 - HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin KhalifaAl Thani Silver CupAJS Lattam, M H K al-Attiyah, Szczepan Mazur4 - Majd Al Arab Sprinter Championship, Purebred ArabiansAJS Berline, M H K al-Attiyah, Szczepan Mazur5 - Umm Qarn Trophy, Thoroughbred Open RaceBolthole, Alban de Mieulle, Mickael Barzalona6 - French King Cup, Local Thoroughbred Open RaceEquinoxe, Alban de Mieulle, Mickael Barzalona7 - Yasmeen Cup, Thoroughbred HandicapMaraseem, Georges Mikhalides, Jefferson Smith8 - Charm Spirit Cup, Thoroughbred HandicapSherood, Ahmed al-Jehani, Tomas Lukasek9 - Very Nice Name Cup, Thoroughbred Novice PlatePavise, Nasser Ghazali, Soufiane Saadi