Unlucky not to have finished closer in the Group 1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly in June, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned colt Al Hakeem (Siyouni x Jadhaba) returned to winning ways in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and ridden by Cristian Demuro, the three-year-old sat towards the middle of the field through the opening stages of the race before taking closer order on the turn for home.
Despite receiving numerous attacks, notably by the runner up Junko (Intello), Al Hakeem proved a tough tenacious contender in front and passed the post with a half a length to spare. True Testament (Siyouni) took third.
Now a winner on four of his six starts, with a Listed and a Group 2 victories under his belt, the Al Shaqab Racing-homebred is one of the leading colts of his generation in France and holds entries in both the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 2 and the Ascot Champion Stakes on October 15.
Winning jockey Demuro said: “He is class. I had to use up a bit of gas earlier than I would have liked because of the English horse trying to get around me, but then he relaxed and was great. I would have like to be a bit closer, but it worked out. I was a bit worried when Junko came to me, but thankfully he answered all my questions when I asked him.”
Bred by his owners Al Shaqab Racing, Al Hakeem is by champion stallion Siyouni (Pivotal). His dam Jadhaba (Galileo) won her first two starts before finishing third in a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud. She has also produced winner Dahiya (Invincible Spirit), who was also bred by Al Shaqab Racing.