Abbes retains Qatar Gold Sword title

Doha: Wathnan Racing’s Abbes retained the Qatar Gold Sword title with a dominant five-length win on an eventful Qatar Gold Sword & Trophy Day at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Thursday night.

The six-year-old Amir Sword winner kicked clear in the final 300m and then chased his own shadow until he won the 2000m race for four-year-old+ Purebred Arabians by five lengths, completing a double for trainer Alban de Mieulle and a treble for jockey Ronan Thomas.

H E Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al Thani presented the Gr 1 P/A Qatar Gold Sword to Ali bin Yousef Al Rumaihi, General Manager of Wathnan Racing, owner of Abbes.

H E Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al Thani presented the Qatar Gold Sword to Ali bin Yousef Al Rumaihi, General Manager of Wathnan Racing, owner of Abbes. 

In another major race on Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s (QREC) 48th Race Meeting, Abdulatif Hussain Al Emadi-owned Jewel House also produced an impressive performance to win the Group 1 Qatar Gold Trophy.

Under jockey Muanis Al Siyabi, the Bader Al Balushi-trained nine-year-old cruised into the lead in the final strides and won the 2200m race for the four-year-old Thoroughbreds by three quarters of a length.

In Qatar Silver Sword for Purebred Arabian (4yo Only), jockey Szczepan Mazur and the colours of Al Jeryan Stud were quickly back in the winner’s enclosure with the MHK Al Attiyah-trained AJS Jamran winning the coveted title.

Jewel House under Muanis Al Siyabi in action during the Qatar Gold Trophy race. 

The bay colt got the better of Ramrod PY in the final strides to win the 1850m race for the four-year-old Purebred Arabians by a short head. Issa bin Mohamed Al Mohannadi, QREC Chairman, presented the trophies to the winners.

Also in the day, Al Jeryan Stud’s homebred AJS Sarhan, having finished runner-up last time out, bounced back to winning ways taking the Qatar Silver Trophy.

Trainer Gassim Ghazali and jockey Mazur teamed up to good effect as the six-year-old won the mile race for four-year-old+ Local Purebred Arabians by a length and a quarter ahead of his nearest rival.

H E Sheikh Thani with the connection of Jewel House, winner of Qatar Gold Trophy. 

H E Jean Baptiste Faivre, Ambassador of the French Republic to the State of Qatar, presented the trophies to the winners in presence of Bader Mohamed Al Darwish, QREC acting CEO.

Earlier in the day, Studio City continued his good efforts registering his second straight win and giving the trio of Al Shaqab Racing, trainer Eric Lemartinel and jockey Faleh Bughanaim a second winner in the evening.

The chestnut colt came with a late surge in the final furlong to land the Al Wajba Trophy, a 1850m race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, by a length and a half. Bader Mohamed Al Darwish, QREC Acting CEO, presented the trophies to the winners.

The Osama Omer Al Dafea-owned and trained Taxiwala regained the winning thread with a valuable victory. As ever, he proved the fastest in the 1200m contest for three-year-old+ Thoroughbreds. It was a quick-fire double by jockey Thomas who guided the six-year-old to win the Sealine Sprint Trophy by a length.

In the second race of the meeting, Wathnan Racing’s Equinoxe once again showed his class, registering his fifth victory in a row. The De Mieulle-trained six-year-old star came with a sweep in the last 200m to take the 1850m Local Thoroughbred Open Cup for four-year-old+ in impressive fashion by three and a half lengths under jockey Thomas.

Ahmed Amanalla Al Sheebani, Director of QREC Support Services Department, crowned the winners.

Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Felowah began the meeting getting off the mark impressively, as she landed the Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Cup, having prevailed in the 1600m contest for four-year-olds by a length and a half for trainer Lemartinel and jockey Bughanaim.

QREC's 48th Race Meeting
Qatar Gold Sword & Trophy
(Horse, Trainer, Jockey)

1 - Qatar Gold Sword (Gr1 Pa) - Purebred Arabians (Far Bend)
Abbes, Alban Elie De Mieulle, Ronan Thomas

2 - Qatar Gold Trophy (Qa Gr1) - Thoroughbred (Class 1) (Far Bend)
Jewel House, Bader Al Balushi, Muanis Al Siyabi

3 - Qatar Silver Sword - Purebred Arabian 
(4yo Only)
AJS Jamran, MHK Al Attiyah, Szczepan Mazur

4 - Qatar Silver Trophy - Local Purebred Arabian
AJS Sarhan, Gassim Ghazali, Szczepan Mazur

5 - Al Wajba Trophy - Thoroughbred (3yo Only) (Class 2)
Studio City, Eric Lemartinel, Faleh Bughanaim

6 - Sealine Sprint Trophy - Thoroughbreds (Class 1)  
Taxiwala, Osama Al-Dafea, Ronan Thomas

7 - Local Thoroughbred Open Cup
Equinoxe, Alban Elie De Mieulle, Ronan Thomas

8 - Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Cup (4yo Only)
Felowah, Eric Lemartinel, Faleh Bughanaim