Qatari jockey Faleh Bughanaim yesterday guided Al Shaqab Racing’s Um Taj to victory in the feature race of the 25th Meeting as the Eric Lemartinel-trained six-year-old came home with a comfortable margin at Al Rayyan Racecourse.
Um Taj clinched the 1,700m contest to seal the Umm Al Zubar Cup which also offered QR57,000 in prize money for the winners. The Mansoor Khalil al-Mansoori-trained Bin General, with Shakir al-Balushi in the saddle, came second while Fuwairat and Tomas Lukasek finished third.
Earlier, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mishal bin Hamad al-Thani’s Lekhraib prevailed by 2¾ lengths in the 1,200m Local P/A Conditions under Marco Casamento, completing a double for trainer Mohamed Ghazali on the day.
Ghazali’s first win came when Al Gaiah Racing’s Taht Amrek topped the field in the 1,900m P/A Maiden Plate. With Qais Al Busaidi in the saddle, the six-year-old cruised to win by 4½ lengths.
Meanwhile, trainer Mohamed Khaled Elahmedalso clinched a double for Sabhea Awad Ibrahim. Ibrahim’s Sarmad Bu Thaila was guided to success in the 1,200m Local TB Handicap by famed jockey Alberto Sannaafter Lukas Delozier astride Shams al-Nahar won The Purebred Arabian Handicapin the opening race of the day.
The Ibrahim Saeed Ibrahim al-Malki-owned and trained Hessdalen won the Thoroughbred Handicap (0-85) under Lukasek while Sergeant Major, in the colours of Eng. Osama Omer al-Dafe, stormed to win the Thoroughbred Handicap (0-75) by 3½ lengths under Szczepan Mazur, who also went on to complete a double yesterday. Mazur had earlier guided Al Jeryan Stud’s Al Buraq to win in the Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate.
Winners
(Horse, Trainer, Jockey)
Umm Al Zubar Cup - Purebred Arabian Confined Plate
Um Taj (FR), Eric Lemartinel, Faleh Bughanaim
Local Purebred Arabian Conditions
Lekhraib (QA), Mohamed Ghazali, Marco Casamento
Local Thoroughbred Handicap
Sarmad Bu Thaila (QA), Mohamed Khaled Elahmed, Alberto Sanna
Thoroughbred Handicap (Class 4)
Hessdalen (GB), Ibrahim Saeed al-Malki, Tomas Lukasek
Thoroughbred Handicap (Class 5)
Sergeant Major (GB), Osama al-Dafea, Szczepan Mazur
Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate
TahtAmrek (FR), Mohamed Ghazali, Qais AlBusaidi
Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate
Al Buraq (QA), M.H.K al-Attiyah, Szczepan Mazur
Purebred Arabian Handicap
Shams al-Nahar (QA), Mohamed Khaled Elahmed, Lukas Delozier
Jockey Faleh Bughanaim leads Al Shaqab Racing’s Um Taj to Umm Al Zubar Cup victory at the Al Rayyan Racecourse yesterday.
