Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club chairman Sheikh Mohamed bin Faleh al-Thani (sixth from right), general manager Nasser Sherida al-Kaabi (fourth from right), Racing manager Abdullah Rashid al-Kubaisi (right) with the winners of the Ain Khaled Cup yesterday. Al Hareth, owned by Mishal bin Ali al-Attiyah and trained by Jassim al-Ghazali (third from right), won the event with jockey Alberto Sanna (fourth from left) at the helm. PICTURES: Juhaim


By Mikhil Bhat/Doha
 

After starting the season with a fourth-place finish last week, Al Hareth produced a fine run at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s turf to win the Ain Khaled Cup, yesterday’s feature race.
Al Hareth, owned by Mishal bin Ali al-Attiyah and trained by Jassim al-Ghazali, won the Local Thoroughbred Conditions race for horses four-year-old or older ahead of Umm Qarn-owned Yasmeen and Al Mazrooah, owned by Dr Mohamed Rashid al-Ardhi al-Marri.
In the process, the bay colt, helmed by Alberto Sanna yesterday, crossed a million Qatari Riyals in total prize money.
“Last week, I wasn’t happy because I hate to see this horse lose,” al-Ghazali told Gulf Times after Al Hareth took his 12th win in 15 starts yesterday. “But this week he is back to being his best and that’s great.”
The Seas Legacy colt made a quick start off Gate 7 for the six furlong race and settled in at second place behind Marco Monteriso’s mount Al Mazrooah with Alban de Mieulle-trained filly Yasmeen in tow. Al Hareth and Yasmeen went past Al Mazrooah with a furlong to go and the former surged ahead for a two length win.
In the first race of the day, Qatar Falcon, owned by Rashid Mubarak Aljafali al-Naimi, shed his maiden status with Italian jockey Pier Convertino at the helm in the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate yesterday.
The three-year-old colt, trained by Majed Seifeddine, finished ahead of Osama Omar al-Dhafea’s Silent Thunder and Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri’s Franchisco in the Class 6 conditions race.
In the Local Thoroughbred Handicap race for horses rated between 75 and 95, Footprintinthesand (Darren Williams astride) made an impressive run to beat Zahrah and Absher.
The Ahmed Kobeissi-trained bay colt made a slow start off Gate 3 but was soon in the lead and never during the 2000m race looked in danger of giving it away to either of his two competitors.
Al Bateel, owned by Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari, gave Jassim al-Ghazali his first win of the day with a fine run in the 1200m Local Purebred Arabian race for three-year-olds.
With Stephan Ladjadj in charge, the Hatteen colt settled in the middle off Gate 9 but progressed his way up in the order with a sustained run on the outside. On to the home straight, Ladjadj pressed the button and Al Bateel surged ahead into the lead leaving stablemate Al Mansab (Harry Bentley up) one and a half lengths behind at the post.
Skate ran to his third straight win in four starts at the QREC Turf when the Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri-owned Gelding won a race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds only.
Marco Monteriso’s mount made a slow start off Gate 1 but stayed on the inside making a frontward movement as the 1400m race progressed. A furlong and a half from the finish, the Verglas colt (Dam: Strut) surged forward to take a win over Bronze Maquette and the top-rated Beach Samba (96).
Al-Ghazali-trained Al Dallah, owned by Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari, won the Thoroughbreds Class 1 race for two-year-old fillies pipping Secret Tale by a length.
This was the second straight win for the Footstepsinthesand filly, half-sister of Footprintinthesand, winner of Local Thoroughbred Handicap earlier in the day. Ladjadj, who was at the helm yesterday, had guided Al Dallah to her first victory a week ago at the QREC turf.
Umm Qarn duo Rasheed and Ibn Ibn Djel Bon ensured an exciting finish to the Purebred Arabian race for three-year-olds with Rasheed pipping his half-brother from Amer by half a length to win the QAR100,000 event.
The two debutants left Majd Al Arab colt Majdan four lengths behind in third.
The Alban de Mieulle charges stayed in the top five next to the rails, before jockey J. Baptiste Hamel moved Rasheed on the outside with two furlongs to go. Even as Gaeton Faucon led the race on his mount Ibn Ibn Djel Bon, Hamel got his colt just galloping past his stable mate for a fine win.
RESULTS
1st Race: 1. Qatar Falcon (Pier Convertino); 2. Silent Thunder (Stephan Ladjadj); 3. Franchisco (Marco Monteriso); 4. Tayish (J. Baptiste Hamel). Won by: Sh Hd, Sh Hd, ½. Time: 1:56.47. Owner: Rashid Mubarak Aljafali al-Naimi. Trainer: Majed Seifeddine.
2nd Race: 1. Footprintinthesand (Darren Williams); 2. Zahrah (Gaeton Faucon); 3. Absher (Marco Monteriso). Won by: 3, 3 ½. Time: 2:04.34. Owner: Mohamed Kazim al-Ansari & Sons. Trainer: Ahmed Kobeissi.
3rd Race: 1. Al Bateel (Stephan Ladjadj); 2. Al Mansab (Harry Bentley); 3. Ostorah Dukhan (Gaetan Faucon); 4. Sanayed (Alberto Sanna). Won by: 1 ½, 2 ½, 1 ¼. Time: 1:32.94. Owner: Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim al-Ghazali.
4th Race: 1. Skate (Marco Monteriso); 2. Bronze Maquette (J Marcialis); 3. Beach Samba (Gaeton Faucon); 4. Intenser (Marvin Suerland). Won by: ¾, 1 ½, ½. Time: 1:21.82. Owner: Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri. Trainer: S Ibido.
5th Race: 1. Al Dallah (Stephan Ladjadj); 2. Secret Tale (Darren Williams); 3. Angel Of The Night (Alberto Sanna); 4. Reem Seattle (Evert Pheiffer). Won by: 1, 8, 27. Time: 1:23.71. Owner: Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim al-Ghazali.
6th Race: 1. Rasheed (J Baptiste Hamel); 2. Ibn Ibn Djel Bon (Gaetan Faucon); 3. Majdan (Pier Convertino); 4. Almuheet (Adrie de Vries). Won by: ½, 4, 1 ¾. Time: 1:30.88. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
7th Race: 1. Al Hareth (Alberto Sanna); 2. Yasmeen (Gaetan Faucon); 3. Al Mazrooah (Marco Monteriso); 4. Al Mansoor (JP Guillambert). Won by: 2, 1 ½, 5. Time: 1:09.97. Owner: Mishal bin Ali al-Attiyah. Trainer: Jassim al-Ghazali.