Qatari jockey Faleh Bughanaim rode his first winner of the season astride Nasser Saeed al-Eida’s Hajadie Du Croate in the Al Gharafa Cup, yesterday’s feature on turf at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Al Rayyan Park.
In the mile-long Purebred Arabian feature, Bughanaim and Jassim Mohamed Ghazali’s ward did not have the best of starts despite starting on the inside, even as JP Guillambert-ridden Casimir De Codines set the pace for the bulk of the race.
Umm Qarn’s Muqla took the advantage two furlongs out. However, Bughanaim had been egging Hajadie Du Croate on through the back straight and the turn and the duo steadily clawed their way up to edge out Muqla by a quarter-of-a-length at the post.
In the penultimate race of the day, Soufiane Saadi’s second victory of the day was almost a certainty since he was astride Abdulatif Hussain al-Emadi’s Black Pearl, a Qatar-bred horse that had won five out of his six career outings.
Black Pearl played true to his form edging out Zuhair Mohsen-trained Mosayter, ridden by Alberto Sanna, by a quarter of a length at the post for his sixth win.
Umm Qarn colours entered the winner’s enclosure twice yesterday with French trainer Alban de Mieulle saddling two winners. After Umm Qarn colts Dream Boy and Equinoxe swept the top two spots in the local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate event for three-year-olds under Saadi and Ronan Thomas respectively, Thomas helmed Gold Amer to a mile-long Purebred Arabian Handicap win.
Thomas was in the saddle the last time the five-year-old had run course and distance, but it was far from ideal.
Yesterday, however, they picked up a fine one-length victory, that was the colt’s third overall.
Al Jeryan Stud’s Arabic Channel made his preference for a seven-furlong race on turf amply clear when he won on the course and distance for the third time.
After Eduardo Pedroza guided the English Channel colt to a thrilling short head victory for Thoroughbreds, Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani’s ward now has three wins and a top-three finish in four outings over the course and distance at Al Rayyan Park.
Ronan Thomas and his mount Take A Nap ran out of real estate to try and take a win, and settled for second.
Apprentice rider aRashid Ali al-Marri led a one-two for Qatari jockeys as he sided Saeed Mohamed al-Shafi’s Al Mikdam to a fine victory in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 75 and below.
In the packed 16-strong miler, Al Mikdam held on to his advantage as he went past the post a little less than two lengths in front of Faleh Bughanaim and his mount, War Order.
Zyzzyva was the first winner for Qatari trainer Ibrahim al-Malki this season with the Siyouni gelding entering the winner’s enclosure for the first time in Qatar.
The bay horse had finished in the money twice before at Al Rayyan Park, but this time Thomas’ brilliant ride saw the five-year-old win the six-furlong Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 70-90 by a little more than a length, beating Faleh Bughanaim-ridden Random Decision.
Earlier in the evening, Ali bin Saeed al-Jafali al-Nuaimi’s Ajal registered his first career victory after a winning ride by Alberto Sanna.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Dream Boy (Soufiane Saadi), 2. Equinoxe (Ronan Thomas), 3. Thamina (JP Guillambert), 4. Dreem Of Doha (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: 2, 3 ¼, 1 ¾. Time: 1:13.21. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 2: 1. Ajal (Alberto Sanna), 2. Al Khor Surprise (Soufiane Saadi), 3. Qatar Gold (Saleh Salem al-Marri), 4. Al Hadah (Eduardo Pedroza). Won by: 3 ¾, ½, 3 ¼. Time: 1:37.67. Owner: Ali bin Saeed al-Jafali al-Nuaimi. Trainer: Majed Seifeddine.
Race 3: 1. Zyzzyva (Ronan Thomas), 2. Random Decision (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Monsieur Noir (Luca Maniezzi), 4. Fuwayrit (Soufiane Saadi). Won by: 1 ¼, 2 ¼, 1. Time: 1:09.32. Owner: Ibrahim al-Malki. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 4: 1. Al Mikdam (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 2. War Order (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Better Than Ever (Alberto Sanna), 4. Hakeem (Eduardo Pedroza). Won by: 1 ¾, 1, 1 ½. Time: 1:35.16. Owner: Saeed Mohamed Shafi al-Shafi. Trainer: Saeed Mohamed Shafi al-Shafi.
Race 5: 1. Arabic Channel (Eduardo Pedroza), 2. Take A Nap (Ronan Thomas), 3. Pettifogger (Luca Maniezzi), 4. Black Granite (JP Guillambert). Won by: Shd, 2, 2 ¼. Time: 1:22.00. Owner: Al Jeryan Stud. Trainer: Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani.
Race 6: 1. Gold Amer (Ronan Thomas), 2. Ennab (Alberto Sanna), 3. Ghazi Al Jeryan (Killian Leonard), 4. Al Junood (Meteb Ali al-Marri). Won by: 1, Hd, ¼. Time: 1:43.86. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 7: 1. Black Pearl (Soufiane Saadi), 2. Mosayter (Alberto Sanna), 3. Abha (Eduardo Pedroza), 4. Latamah (Killian Leonard). Won by: ¼, 1 ½, 1 ¼. Time: 1:10.48. Owner: Abdulatif Hussain al-Emadi. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 8: 1. Hajadie Du Croate (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. Muqla (Ronan Thomas), 3. Veverka Py (Francois Herholdt), 4. Casimir De Codines (JP Guillambert). Won by: ¼, 2, 2 ¼. Time: 1:44.58. Owner: Nasser Saeed al-Eida. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Faleh Bughanaim rides Hajadie Du Croate to victory in the Al Gharafa Cup at Al Rayyan Park yesterday.
