Coming off the final bend as the pace quickened, Bentley had his six-year-old ride move outside and clawed his way into contention even as JP Guillambert put Injaaz Stud’s Black Granite past Itorio in the final furlong.
At the post, The Blue Eye had beaten Black Granite by a nose to lock the top two spots for Ghazali, while Ibrahim al-Malki-saddled Pazeer pushed hard in the closing stages of the race to finish third by a neck under Eduardo Pedroza.
The win was the third on the day for Ghazali, who had another one-two in the Umm Salal Oaks Trial for Local Thoroughbred fillies with al-Kuwari’s Rodeyna shedding her maiden status under Guillambert, beating Injaaz Stud’s Insijam. AJS Wathanan was the first winner for Ghazali on the day after Marco Casamento helmed the six-year-old gelding to a Purebred Arabian Handicap victory.
Umm Qarn’s Jazalah and Deebah won the two Purebred Arabians Oaks Trials for trainer Alban de Mieulle, while Rashid Mohamed al-Jehani’s new ward Northern Beam carried her form from France to Qatar winning the Oaks Trials for Thoroughbreds by holding off Hadi Nasser Rashid al-Ramzani’s wards — Mzoon and Lady April — for the victory.
Ahmed Kobeissi-schooled Sraab made amends for a winless season last time round with a victory in her second outing this season. Ray Fuentes, riding in the colours of Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik, beat al-Ramzani’s Al Lusail and stablemate Footprintinthesand for the win in the 2000m Ras Laffan Cup, the penultimate race of the card.
Al-Ramzani too had two winners on the day, starting the day with Tomas Lukasek helming Arabic Channel in the Thoroughbred Plate for two-year-olds and Faleh Bughanaim guiding AJS Moaddie to his maiden victory.
Mohamed Rashid al-Kuwari’s ward New Hope and Yousef Ben Taher-trained Montaser were the other winners in the 11-race card.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Arabic Channel (Tomas Lukasek), 2. Luchador (Harry Bentley), 3. Quai Du Louvre (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: 1, Hd. Time: 1:15.35. Owner: Al Jeryan Stud. Trainer: Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani.
Race 2: 1. AJS Moaddie (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. Annan (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Al Junood (Harry Bentley), 4. Da’aas (Anas al-Seyabi). Won by: 1 1/4, 2, 1/4. Time: 1:50.73. Owner: Al Jeryan Stud. Trainer: Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani.
Race 3: 1. New Hope (Shakir al-Balushi), 2. Magic Line (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 3. Lawless Louis (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 4. Qatar Weave (Anas al-Seyabi). Won by: Hd, 3, 1 1/2. Time: 1:13.67. Owner: Rashid Khamis Saif al-Kuwari. Trainer: Mohamed Rashid Seif al-Kuwari.
Race 4: 1. AJS Wathanan (Marco Casamento), 2. Evolution Du Croate (Gerald Avranche), 3. Diese (Ronan Thomas), 4. Melk (Harry Bentley). Won by: 3/4, 2 3/4, 1/4. Time: 1:48.50. Owner: Al Ghazali Stud. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 5: 1. Montaser (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Al Hareth (Harry Bentley), 3. Muraqabah (JP Guillambert), 4. Khoud (Anas al-Seyabi). Won by: 2 1/2, 3 1/2, 1. Time: 1:14.54. Owner: Ali bin Saeed al-Jafali al-Nuaimi. Trainer Yousef Ben Taher.
Race 6: 1. Rodeyna (JP Guillambert), 2. Insijam (Harry Bentley), 3. Latamah (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Jouriya (Marco Casamento). Won by: 2 1/2, 2, 1 3/4. Time: 1:43.78. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 7: 1. Northern Beam (Stephan Ladjadj), 2. Mzoon (Tomas Lukasek), 3. Lady April (Eduardo Pedroza), 4. Amenable (Gerald Avranche). Won by: 1 1/4, Hd, 1/4. Time: 1:58.20. Owner: Khalid Rashid al-Mohannadi. Trainer: Rashid Mohamed al-Jehani.
Race 8: 1. Deebah (Ronan Thomas), 2. Soulta (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Semaisima (Mathieu Pelletan), 4. Moghedha Al Jazeera (Tomas Lukasek). Won by: 2 3/4, Hd, 1 1/2. Time: 2:09.44. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 9: 1. Jazalah (Mathieu Pelletan), 2. Nairouz (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Al Dawoodea (Faleh Bughanaim), 4. AJS Dhabi (Tomas Lukasek). Won by: 1 1/2, 3 3/4, Nk. Time: 2:06.85. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 10: 1. Sraab (Ray Fuentes), 2. Al Lusail (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Footprintinthesand (Saleem Golam), 4. Moaddie (Jean Baptiste Hamel). Won by: 1/2, 1/4, 1/2. Time: 2:07.44. Owner: Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik. Trainer: Ahmed Kobeissi.
Race 11: 1. The Blue Eye (Harry Bentley), 2. Black Granite (JP Guillambert), 3. Pazeer (Eduardo Pedroza), 4. Vitally Important (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: No, Nk, 2. Time: 1:38.07. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
