By Chris Hoover/Doha
Mohammed Nasser al-Ramzani owned Falak brooked no opposition en route to winning the Club Cup , the main event of the opening day’s races at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. Under the able riding of Marvin Suerland, Falak put some noteworthy contenders firmly in their place by coming home in splendid fashion. “I am very happy to have won the Cup race on the opening day and I hope to win many more this season. I was struggling a bit in the beginning as the distance was a bit short for Falak, but she did very well to keep up with the pace and when asked for an effort, she responded well and stretched away to win quite well,” jockey Suerland told the Gulf Times. Earlier in the day, the fleet-footed Thumal Al Naif (Mohammed Saeed astride) produced a sparkling run in the homestretch to assume command and dictate the terms of the race in the local bred Pure Arabian Stakes. Under the forceful riding of the Saeed, the Mohammed Khalid nurtured Thumal Al Naif established a useful lead which eventually held him in good stead.George Mikhalides’ Al Nashat came up with a belated challenge but found the winner too good on the day and had to settle for second place.Kuhlan (Razaq up), from trainer Jassim al-Ghazali’s yard, showed remarkable turn of foot and stretched away to record a thrilling victory in the local bred Pure Arabian Handicap for horses rated 0 to 40. Kuhan has been a moody customer as one brilliant run was always followed with a listless performance. But this time the Ghazali trainee showed a clean pair of heels to thwart the spirited challenge of Robbama who posed a serious threat but could only diminish the margin of victory.Ghazali’s Johnny Hancocks announced his arrival as a horse of immense potential by the gutsy manner in which he got up in time to get the better of Mganga in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 0 to 60. When the race took a serious turn, Johnny Hancocks (David Badel up) came up with a brilliant stretch run to overhaul Mganga in the shadow of the winning post to win by half a length. Safonic Sound finished third ahead of One Cool Mission. Ghazali led in his third winner for the day when Granary put in another impressive performance to take the top honours in the Thoroughbred Stakes. This was the 24th victory for the Ghazali trainee in her three-year career. Ridge Wood Dani tried to steal a march over the rest at the top of the straight but he could not sustain against the blistering run of Granary and faded into second spot.Another winner that caught the eye was Zohair Moghsen trained Lahoob, who brooked no opposition en route to winning the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate. Lahoob under the able riding of Darren Williams went away from the field without being fully stretched to win in fine style. Williams completed a back-to-back double when he rode George Mikhalides schooled Shael De Faust to a hard fought victory in the Pure Arabian Maiden Plate. Magik D’Or (Marvin Suerland astride) had things under control inside the final furlong and shaped like a winner as Shael De Faust was brought into contention. Wiliams pushed the three-year-old colt with all the resources at his command to get past the front runner.
Results: 1st race: Lahoob (Darren Williams) 1, Sixpenny Moon 2, Merry Bean 3, Apazine 4. Won by: 5, Hd, 1 ¾. Time: 1:05.15. Trained by: Zohair Moghsen. Owned by: Badr Mohammed Nasser al-Fuhaid2nd race: Shael De Faust (Darren Williams) 1, Magik D’Or 2, Ovation 3, Sara 4. Won by: 1, 4, 2. Time: 1:19.26. Trained by: George Mikhalides. Owned by: Sheikha Rowdha bint Mishal bin Hamad al-Thani 3rd race: Kuhlan (Razaq) 1, Robbama 2, Ibhar 3, Endefa 4. Won by: ½, ½, Nk. Time: 1:35.83. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Essa Mohammed al-Sulaiti 4th race: Johnny Hancocks (David Badel) 1, Mganga 2, Safonic Sound 3, One Cool Mission 4. Won by: ½, 2, 3 ½. Time: 1:12.16. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Mansoor Ibrahim al-Mahmood5th race: Thumal Al Naif (Mohammed Saeed) 1, Al Nashat 2, Akhhal 3, Al Mostarsil 4. Won by: 2, ¾, 1 ½. Time: 1:18.76. Trained by: Mohammed Khalid. Owned by: Ms Subaiya Awad Ibrahim6th race: Granary (David Bouland) 1, Ridge Wood Dani 2, Footloose Man 3, Indian 4. Won by: 1, 1, 5. Time: 1:04.24. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Mishal bin Ali al-Attiya7th race: Falak (Marvin Suerland) 1, Jelmud 2, Tameemah 3, Al Adaid 4. Won by: 3 ½, Nk, 3. Time: 1:32.39. Trained by: Haidi al-Ramzani. Owned by: Mohammed Nasser al-Ramzani