Al Shaqab Racing’s Lauded bounced back from a disappointing run a week ago to enter the winner’s enclosure for the first time in Qatar, sprinting to Marmi Cup victory in style at the dirt track at Al Rayyan Park yesterday. 
The six-furlong run for three-year-old Thoroughbreds saw the Ibrahim al-Malki-schooled colt set the pace up front on the rails after coming out of Gate 1 under Ronan Thomas. Even as the race became frantic in the final furlong, Lauded held a slight advantage over Soufiane Saadi-ridden Nastase and went past the post half-a-length ahead of Jassim Ghazali-trained Al Hajaj Stud colt.
Jockey Alberto Sanna completed a hat-trick of wins yesterday, riding a winner each for Deborah Mountain, Wasim al-Sahn and Osama Omer al-Dafea.
First up was Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik’s Catch A Wave who followed up a couple of mixed results with a close victory in the Thoroughbred Handicap run for horses rated 70-90. Mountain-saddled gelding landed the six-furlong sprint a little less than a length in front of Rashid Ali al-Marri-ridden I Am Thunder.
Half-an-hour later it was Abdullah Saeed Abdullah al-Mesned’s Qatar-bred horse Ghannam. The five-year-old had shown promise once arriving on these shores from France finishing third on debut at Al Rayyan Park. A fifth position later, the grey ward of al-Sahn missed out on a win when runner-up over course-and-distance a week ago. Yesterday, however, with Sanna in the saddle for the second straight time, Ghannam won the Purebred Arabian Handicap by more than a length.
In the Arabian conditions race, Baker De Saularie landed his second course-and-distance conditions victory with the chestnut winning the 1800m run by more than three lengths.
The owner-trainer combine of Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud and Jassim Ghazali celebrated two successes yesterday, including Qatar debutant Burano Boy and veteran Roman Legend. 
British recruit Burano Boy, ridden by Soufiane Saadi, managed to stay neck-and-neck with Khalid al-Balushi-ridden Tafaahum for the length of the home straight, eventually taking a slight lead and winning the 1,900m Thoroughbred maiden by a head.
Approximately an hour later, JP Guillambert was astride Roman Legend in a Thoroughbred handicap for horses rated 85 and below, and the 10-year-old landed the 1,700m run comfortably with three lengths to spare, entering the winner’s circle for the first time in a little over two years.
Guillambert was astride a winner in the penultimate race of the day too when Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari’s Shakour won the Thoroughbred Conditions with one-and-a-half lengths to spare. It was the second course-and-distance victory for Zuhair Mohsen’s charge this season.
Ghazali’s son, Mohamed, too saddled a winner with Injaaz Stud’s Rodeyna topping the 1,700m Local Thoroughbreds event for fillies and mares with dominant fashion. Ridden by apprentice jockey al-Balushi, the six-year-old mare won with a little more than four lengths to spare.
The meeting opened with Khalid Nasser al-Naimi’s Rajab racing to a dominant four-length victory in a local Purebred Arabian handicap under a fantastic ride by Francois Herholdt.


RESULTS
Race 1: LOCAL PUREBRED ARABIAN HANDICAP (70 & below) (Distance: 1,800m)
1. Rajab (Francois Herholdt), 2. Taizz (Tomas Lukasek), 3. Elwan (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 4. Shahiqah (Marco Casamento). Won by: 4, ½, 7. Time: 2:09.66. Owner: Khalid Nasser al-Naimi. Trainer: Khalid Nasser al-Naimi.
Race 2: THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (Class 6) (Distance: 1,900m)
1. Burano Boy (Soufiane Saadi), 2. Tafaahum (Khalid al-Balushi), 3. Classify (Michael Forest), 4. Wakeel (Marco Casamento). Won by: Hd, 1, 6. Time: 2:03.35. Owner: Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud. Trainer: Jassim Ghazali.
Race 3: LOCAL THOROUGHBREDS (Fillies & Mares) (Distance: 1,700m)
1. Rodeyna (Khalid al-Balushi), 2. Al Faisaliya (Ronan Thomas), 3. Abha (Marco Casamento), 4. Aafreen (JP Guillambert). Won by: 4 ¼, ¾, 2 ½. Time: 1:50.87. Owner: Injaaz Stud. Trainer: Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 4: THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 4) (85 & below) (Distance: 1,700m)
1. Roman Legend (JP Guillambert), 2. Massam (Tomas Lukasek), 3. Shawaaheq (Ronan Thomas), 4. Barbarous Relic (Marco Casamento). Won by: 3, 1, 1 ¾. Time: 1:49.61. Owner: Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud. Trainer: Jassim Ghazali.
Race 5: THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 3) (70-90) (Distance: 1,200m)
1. Catch A Wave (Alberto Sanna), 2. I Am Thunder (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 3. Khafooq (Marco Casamento), 4. Leafy Moss (Khalid al-Balushi). Won by: ¾, ¾, 9. Time: 1:11.47. Owner: Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik. Trainer: Deborah Mountain.
Race 6: PUREBRED ARABIAN HANDICAP (90 & below) (Distance: 1,200m)
1. Ghannam (Alberto Sanna), 2. Alsdry (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 3. Al Junood (Meteb Ali al-Marri), 4. Al Rayyan (Ivan Rossi). Won by: 1 ¼, 5, No. Time: 1:19.42. Owner: Abdullah Saeed Abdullah al-Mesnad. Trainer: Wasim al-Sahn. 
Race 7: PUREBRED ARABIAN CONDITIONS (Distance: 1,800m)
1. Baker De Saularie (Alberto Sanna), 2. Shabih Alreeh (Khalid al-Balushi), 3. Al Walid (Ronan Thomas), 4. Winne Taouy (Rashid Ali al-Marri). Won by: 3 ¼, 4 ¾, ½. Time: 2:05.44. Owner: Osama Omer al-Dafea. Trainer: Osama Omer al-Dafea.
Race 8: THOROUGHBRED CONDITIONS (Class 2) (Distance: 1,800m)
1. Shakour (JP Guillambert), 2. Zarandi (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 3. Topsy Turvy (Tomas Lukasek), 4. High Commander (Meteb Ali al-Marri). Won by: 1 ½, 4 ¾, ½. Time: 1:54.03. Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen.
Race 9: MARMI CUP (THOROUGHBREDS (Class 2) 3 YEAR OLDS ONLY) (Distance: 1,200m)
1. Lauded (Ronan Thomas), 2. Nastase (Soufiane Saadi), 3. Swagger (Michael Forest), 4. Unbutton (Marco Casamento). Won by: ½, 3, ½. Time: 1:11.95. Owner: Al Shaqab Racing. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.