Taxiwala clinches Sealine Cup

Jockey Faleh Bughanaim led Taxiwala, owned and trained by Eng. Osama Omer al-Dafea, to its fourth straight win to clinch the Sealine Cup, the feature event of the races at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Thursday. Bughanaim made it a double on the day as he steered the four-year-old Taxiwala to a 3¾ length win in the 6f Class 2 race.Khafooq, trained by Gassim Ghazali and ridden by Marco Casamento came second while Dark Pursuit, with Anas al-Seyabi in the saddle, finished third.Bughanaim had earlier won the P/A Novice Plate for three-year-olds over 1,400m with Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Alrugrog, trained by Eric Lemartinel. It was the grey colt’s Qatar debut as Bughanaim finished ahead of Iloucio, ridden by Alberto Sanna.Earlier, Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Mwarid extended its unbeaten run to four wins in five career starts. Mwarid topped the field in the P/A Handicap (0-105) with Soufiane Saadi riding the Alban de Mieulle-trained to victory. Meanwhile, Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari’s Saqr won its third TB Conditions, a 1,500m class 2 race for three-year-olds, by impressive four lengths for trainer Jassim Ghazali and jockey Marco Casamento who recorded a double on the dayMohamed Ahmed al-Hajri’s Seddik clinached the victory in Local Purebred Arabian Handicap as the Dr. Fahad Salman Al Hajri-trained six-year-old took the 1,500m race by a length under Rashid Ali al-Marri.Results (only winners)1. Sealine Cup - Thoroughbred Conditions (Class 2) (Horse) Taxiwala (IRE), (Trainer) Osama al-Dafea, (Jockey) Faleh Bughanaim2. Purebred Arabian Handicap Mwarid, Alban Elie De Mieulle, Soufiane Saadi3. Thoroughbred Conditions (3yo only) (Class 2) (Far Bend)Saqr, Gassim Ghazali, Marco Casamento4. Local Purebred Arabian HandicapSeddik, Dr Fahad Salman F S al-Hajri, Rashid Ali al-Marri5. Local Thoroughbred Handicap Majhool Al Zaeem, Owaida Salem al-Hajri, Tomas Lukasek6. Purebred Arabian Novice PlateDjafar, Gassim Ghazali, Marco Casamento7. Purebred Arabian Novice Plate (3yo only) Alrugrog, Eric Lemartinel, Faleh Bughanaim8. Thoroughbred Maiden Plate (Class 6) Rogue Nation, Ibrahim Saeed al-Malki, Tomas Lukasek