QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Faleh al-Thani (fourth from right) and QREC deputy general manager Tariq Abdulhameed al-Siddiqie (extreme right) are seen with the winners of the Sardari Waseti Cup at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. PICTURE: Juhaim

By Chris Hoover/Doha

Gidwa (Amer-Djamour Des Forges) proved immensely superior to the rest in the Sardari Waseti Cup, a Pure Arabian race for four year old Fillies, which featured the races at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. The Julian Smart trained Gidwa lived up to the expectations of her connections with a runaway victory with Tadgh O’Shea in the saddle and maintained her unbeaten record. The half sister to the accomplished Djainka Des Forges, Gidwah will be Europe-bound after the Qatar racing season concludes in May.
Radwah jumped out well to head the field ahead of Mu’arda and Azeeza, who raced alongside, while the rest followed behind. Rounding the final turn, Radwah failed to sustain the momentum even as Mu’arda fell behind and the other runners closed in. Meanwhile, O’Shea brought Gidwa into contention with a smooth run on the outside. Once he got the nod from her rider, the Amer progeny shifted gears and sailed away to win in emphatic fashion.
Mazen (Amer-Saheel ASF) went on a successful start to finish mission in the Al Busayir Cup, a Local Bred Pure Arabian race for four year olds. Sporting the colours HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani, Al Mazen (O’Shea up) hit the front and set the pace for the 1,850 metres trip. He was closely followed by Misk and Naamah. The Smart trainee continued his foray deep into the homestretch even as Ain Jalout came through in the centre of the track to challenge the front runner with about 100 metres left in the race. After a brief tussle, Mazen, staved off the challenge to win by half a length.
Gazwan (Amer-Arc De Ciel) came with a sterling performance to give its trainer Smart, his third Cup success of the day. Gazwan rallied strongly towards the last furlong to win the Julaihah Cup, a race for Pure Arabian four year olds. Into the home straight, Gazwan improved gradually from about fifth position to get into contention.  Jockey Marco Monteriso started to ride out the Smart trainee strongly and the four year old grey colt forged ahead to spare three lengths over Bahess Des Vialettes and Zameer.
Trainer Smart was delighted with the triple cup victory. “It has been a really good day. I am really happy with Gidwah and she seems to be going the right way. I will look to run her maybe once or twice more here before taking her to Europe.”
“The biggest surprise of the night came in the form of Mazen who I honestly thought could only finish fourth or fifth. I thought that there were some nice horses in the race but Mazen came up with brilliant run to beat them all. He has been improving and that’s a good sign.”
Jockey O’Shea was elated with the triple cup success as well. “I was very fortunate to get some good rides today. Hopefully I can keep the winners going and stay in one piece, which is very important.”
Ahmed Kobeissi saddled Crescent produced a sparkling run in the final 100 metres to get the better of Power Play to win the Marmi Cup, a Thoroughbred race for three year olds. Crescent was ridden to victory by jockey Gerald Avranche. Power Play finished one and a three quarter lengths behind the winner, while Mind Of Madness and Fine Prince completed the frame.
Mohamed Hussain saddled Bronze Maquette came up with a dazzling display while clinching the Al Aamriah Cup, a Thoroughbred race for three year old Fillies. Laying unperturbed in the rear of the field, jockey Tadgh O’Shea quickly improved places and went past his rivals with lightning strides which saw the Hussain trainee win the 1,600 metres contest by three and a half lengths in a smart time of one minute 38.20 seconds. Umm Qarn’s Dahaab finished second ahead of Natural Charm and Ventura Shadow.
Ghazali schooled Al Hareth continued his domination with a hattrick while annexing the Al Bushayriyah Cup, a Local Thoroughbred race for four-year-olds. Al Hareth avenged his defeat over Footprintinthesand in the Qatar Derby with an aggressive ride by in form jockey Bentley. After taking the initiative at the 200 metre marker, Al Hareth kept at bay the late challenge of Footprintinthesand, who finished with a rush but could only diminish the margin of defeat. Incidentally Al Hareth has won seven races in nine outings, which is a remarkable performance by the youngster.
HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani owned Sherston (Shamardal-Shersha) broke through the maiden ranks with a dominating performance in the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate.The  Ghazali schooled four-year-old bay gelding was ridden confidently by jockey Bentley, who timed his challenge to a nicety. Coming from way off the pace, Bentley brought Sherston into contention with a smooth run at the 300 metre marker. The Ghazali trainee then stretched away to win by nearly two lengths.
In the opener, Alban de Mieulle trained Safwan (Nizam-Cheri Bibi) put in a gallant display while shedding his maiden status with a narrow win over Al Sardal in the Local Bred Pure Arabian Maiden Plate. After racing a handy second until the home turn, the Nizam progeny stretched away nicely and later warded off the spirited challenge from Al Sardal to win by a head.

Results:
1st race: Safwan (Gaetan Faucon) 1, Al Sardal 2, Al Mundher 3, Sirat Al Naif 4. Won by: Hd, 2, 1 ½. Time: 1:32.68. Trained by: Alban de Mieulle. Owned by: Umm Qarn
2nd race: Sherston (Harru Bentley) 1, Sobbroto 2, Beach Samba 3, Marzog 4. Won by: 1 ½, ½, 1. Time: 1:37.22. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani
3rd race: Al Hareth (Harry Bentley) 1, Footprintinthesand 2, Al Naif Alpha 3, Takfaa 4. Won by: ½, 8, Hd. Time: 1:38.96. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Mishal bin Ali al-Attiya
4th race: Bronze Maquette (Tadgh O’Shea) 1, Dahaab 2, Natural Charm 3, Ventura Shadow 4. Won by: 3 ½, ½, Nk. Time: 1:38.20. Trained by: Mohammed Hussain. Owned by: Hamad Adel al-Muslimani
5th race: Gidwa (Tadgh O’Shea) 1, Badriya Thabeth 2, Radwah 3, Azeeza 4. Won by: 5, 1 ¾, 5. Time: 1:45.31. Trained by: Julian Smart. Owned by: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani
6th race: Mazen (Tadgh O’Shea) 1, Ain Jalout 2, Al Fakhamah 3, Naamah 4. Won by: ½, 1 ½, 1 ½. Time: 2:06.13. Trained by: Julian Smart. Owned by: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani
7th race: Gazwan (Marco Monteriso) 1, Bahess Des Vialettes 2, Zameer 3, Ba’sil 4. Won by: 3, ½, 1. Time: 1:46.68. Trained by: Julian Smart. Owned by: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani
8th race: Crescent (Gerald Avranche) 1, Power Play 2, Mind Of Madness 3, Fine Prince 4. Won by: 1 ¾, 1 ¾, ½. Time: 1:36.42. Trained by: Ahmed Kobeissi. Owned by: Mohammed Kazim Al Ansari and Sons