Romeo At, carrying the colours of Wathnan Racing, recorded the biggest success of his career by winning the Gr.1 (PA) UAE President Cup - UK Arabian Derby - over 2000m at Doncaster on Saturday. The race was reserved for four-year-olds and attracted a field of six runners.
Trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by Tom Marquand the four-year-old Purebred Arabian colt showed plenty of courage to win at the highest level on his first start outside France.
The colt had already shown good form this season, winning the Gr.3 (PA) Prix Damas over 1600m at Bordeaux on his seasonal return. He then earned two places at Gr.1 (PA) level over 2000m, including a third-place finish in the Gr.1 (PA) Doha Cup (Prix Manganate) on his latest start. The victory at Doncaster, therefore, gave Romeo At the first Gr.1 (PA) success of his career.
Romeo At broke well but was immediately steadied by Tom Marquand, who initially tried to settle him behind. The colt raced quite keenly, however, and after around 200m his jockey allowed him to stride forward. Very free in the early stages, Romeo At moved into second position behind the leader Sab’Aan Al Shahania, with Laffan racing in third. The order remained mostly unchanged down the back straight, although Al Sharid moved forward to race alongside Laffan. Romeo At, meanwhile, began to settle better as the runners approached the final turn.
Turning into the straight, Marquand moved Romeo At away from the leader while keeping him in second position. Sab’Aan Al Shahania was still in front, with Laffan close behind, while Al Sharid came under strong pressure and began to lose ground. Inside the final 300m, Romeo At was still travelling comfortably while the leader was already being strongly ridden. Laffan looked to be the main danger and was also still travelling well.
Approaching the final 200m, Laffan came up alongside Romeo At and the pair began to pull clear of the others. Romeo At responded well when challenged and found more under pressure. Inside the final 100m, the two colts continued to fight, but Romeo At proved the stronger and stayed on gamely to win by one and a half lengths. Laffan finished second while Sab’Aan Al Shahania took third further back.
