Al Ghazali Stud’s AJS Wathanan landed The Late Rabiah Saad Al-Kaabi Cup, yesterday’s feature on dirt at Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Al Rayyan Park, in spectacular fashion.
The conditions feature for local Purebred Arabians saw Alberto Sanna astride Jassim Mohamed Ghazali-saddled gelding for the first time. The eight-year-old had finished outside the money in his season-opener in October but at the end of the 1900m feature yesterday, the grey son of Amer was in the winner’s enclosure for the ninth time, beating the competition by six lengths.
Umm Qarn duo, Mehdi and Sealine, ridden by Michael Forest and Ronan Thomas respectively for Alban de Mieulle, finished second and third.
Trainer Ibrahim al-Malki saddled two winners yesterday, including Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani’s Topsy Turvy and Al Sakab Stud’s Mizoun.
Mizoun stayed unbeaten this season winning her second straight outing with ease yesterday. In the 1100m Local Thoroughbred Handicap sprint for horses rated 85 and below, the mare had Francois Herholdt for company in the silks of Al Sakab Stud, and despite this being their first outing together, the duo breezed past the post almost three lengths in front of Saleh Salem al-Marri-ridden Rodeyna. In the process, Mizoun also completed a hat-trick having won her final start from last season.
In the penultimate race yesterday, Tomas Lukasek helmed Topsy Turvy to what was another comfortable win for al-Malki’s wards. Lukasek had ridden the gelding to the eight-year-old’s last win in February too, and the combine followed that up with a course-and-distance victory with an almost three length win in the 1900m Thoroughbreds run yesterday.
A fantastic ride by Khalid al-Balushi gave Mohamed Hamad al-Attiyah-trained Li Kui his first victory in Qatar yesterday. The Al Murtages Racing Syndicate’s gelding had been well held on his first few outings since his arrival from the UK and ran for the first time this season in the Thoroughbred Handicap event. At the post, the four-year-old held off Jassim Mohamed Ghazali-trained duo — Gold Fleece and Third World — winning with ease by almost three lengths.
Qatari rider Ali Khalid al-Mosallam rode two winners yesterday, taking his tally of wins to nine for this season so far. The apprentice rider now has more victories than the tally of his last two seasons put together, having won two last term and five the one before that.
First up, yesterday, al-Mosallam guided Abdulaziz Hamad al-Marri’s Lama to a second-straight course-and-distance win in the 1100m local Purebred Arabian novice sprint.
Later in the card, al-Mosallam rode Ghazali’s ward, Al Neksh, to the grey horse’s first win since April 2019. The Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud-owned 6yo topped the Purebred Arabian Handicap for horses rated 100 and below. The son of Amer won with ease, by two lengths at the post.
Another Qatari rider to guide a winner yesterday was Meteb Ali al-Marri, who won for the fifth time this term. In the Thoroughbred Handicap event for horses rated 75-95, it was Saeed Nasser al-Qadi’s Zarandi who entered the winner’s enclosure under the apprentice rider. Hamad Ahmed al-Malki al-Jehani-saddled colt won by a little more than a length in front of al-Mosallam and Dheban.
Earlier in the day, Ronan Thomas was astride Umm Qarn’s latest maiden winner, Khaldoun, the Alban de Mieulle ward who won the 1900m Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate event in spectacular fashion with almost eight lengths to spare.


RESULTS
Race 1: PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE (Distance: 1900m)
1. Khaldoun (Ronan Thomas), 2. Tayeel (Alberto Sanna), 3. Toufan Du Croate (Ali Khalid al-Mosallam), 4. Razad (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: 7 ¾, 1 ¾, 5 ½. Time: 02:14.14. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle
Race 2: LOCAL PUREBRED ARABIAN NOVICE PLATE (Distance: 1100m)
1. Lama (Ali Khalid al-Mosallam), 2. Wardan Al Hashm (Ivan Rossi), 3. Ghannam (Ronan Thomas), 4. Al Addaaj (Tomas Lukasek). Won by: 5 ½, 1 ¼, 1 ½. Time: 01:11.46. Owner: Abdulaziz Hamad al-Marri. Trainer: Abdulaziz Hamad al-Marri
Race 3: LOCAL THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (85 & below) (Distance: 1100m)
1. Mizoun (Francois Herholdt), 2. Rodeyna (Saleh Salem al-Marri), 3. Attaf (Ali Khalid al-Mosallam), 4. Rosasa (Alberto Sanna). Won by: 2 ¾, 5 ¼, 7 ½. Time: 01:05.96. Owner: Al Sakab Stud. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 4: PUREBRED ARABIAN HANDICAP (100 & below) (Distance: 1900m)
1. Al Neksh (Ali Khalid al-Mosallam), 2. Tasslam (Carlos Henrique), 3. Latam (Francois Herholdt), 4. Winne Taouy (Mickael Berto). Won by: 2, 3, ½. Time: 02:14.63. Owner: Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 5: THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 4) (80 & below) (Distance: 1900m)
1. Li Kui (Khalid al-Balushi), 2, Gold Fleece (Saleh Salem al-Marri), 3. Third World (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Detox (Carlos Henrique). Won by: 2 ¾, 2 ¾, 2. Time: 02:02.28. Owner: Al Murtages Racing Syndicate. Trainer: Mohamed Hamad al-Attiyah.
Race 6: THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 3) (75-95) (Distance: 1900m)
1. Zarandi (Meteb Ali al-Marri), 2. Dheban (Ali Khalid al-Mosallam), 3. Ernest Aldrich (Rona Thomas), 4. Aluqdah (Alberto Sanna). Won by: 1 ¼, 2 ½, 7 ¾. Time: 02:02.59. Owner: Saeed Nasser al-Qadi. Trainer: Hamad Ahmed al-Malki al-Jehani.
Race 7: THOROUGHBREDS ( Class 2) (Distance: 1900m)
1. Topsy Turvy (Tomas Lukasek), 2. Shakour (JP Guillambert), 3. High Commander (Saleh Salem al-Marri), 4. Qatari Gold (Jason Watson). Won by: 2 ¾, ¾, 5 ¾. Time: 02:01.76. Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 8: The LATE RABIAH SAAD AL-KAABI CUP (Local P/A Conditions) (Distance: 1900m)
1. AJS Wathanan (Alberto Sanna), 2. Mehdi (Michael Forest), 3. Sealine (Ronan Thomas), 4. Shaweesh (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: 6, 5 ¾, ½. Time: 02:13.09. Owner: Al Ghazali Stud. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
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