Al Ghadeer wins H H The Amir Sword title

Doha, Qatar: Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Ghadeer notched up the coveted H H The Amir Sword title in thrilling fashion to seal the Doha Triple Crown on the final day of H H the Amir Sword Festival 2024 at the Al Rayyan Racecourse yesterday.

The five-year-old under the supervision of jockey Christophe Soumillon showed class in the final 300m of the $2.5m Purebred Arabians (Gr1) race to outpace Abbes by a length after an intense battle, completing a memorable victory for trainer Francois Rohaut. Al Doha finished third in final feature of the day.  

Having won the first and the second stages of the crown at Goodwood (Qatar International Stakes) and at ParisLongchamp (Qatar Arabian World Cup), Al Ghadeer became the second horse to clinch the Doha Triple Crown after Ebraz’s feat in 2020.  

“It is a dream come true to win the triple crown. It was his first run in a long time and I am very happy with the win,” the victorious jockey Soumillon said.

H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presented the coveted H H Golden Sword and the Doha Triple crown to H E Sheikh Hamad bin Joaan Al Thani. President of Qatar Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) Chairman Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi were also present.

H H the Amir also honoured the winners of H H The Amir Trophy, H H The Amir Silver Sword and H H The Amir Shalfa on the eventful day that featured eight races.

Meanwhile, Godolphin-owned Rebel’s Romance was in great form as the six-year-old landed the 2400m H H The Amir Trophy Thoroughbreds worth $2.5m by three lengths with jockey William Buick in the saddle.             

Christophe Soumillon and Molfit reach the finish line to win the H H The Amir Silver Sword.

“I am absolutely delighted to win here in the big festival. It was a tough race with the some of the good horses from Japan. I managed to get things my own way and he enjoyed it. When he got to the front he wasn’t going to get caught. He was very good and really showed up – it was a great result for everyone,” Buick said after the win.

Mohammed bin Fahad A H Al Attiya-owned Molfit secured the H H The Amir Silver Sword title, winning the 1850m Purebred Arabians race by half a length in what was a first victory for trainer Rohaut and jockey Christophe yesterday.       

The connections of Pazeer celebrate after winning the H H The Amir Shalfa.

In a nail-biting Thoroughbred Open Handicap race for H H The Amir Shalfa, Abdulatif Hussain M Z Al Emadi-owned Pazeer emerged as the winner, edging Coco Jack by only quarter of a length in action-packed 2000m contest. Lukas Delozier rode the Bader Al Balushi-trained horse that regained the crown after the 2018 triumph.             

The Al Rayyan Mile Thoroughbreds witnessed Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman M Al-Thani-owned Oddyssey under jockey Maxime Guyon maintaining winning form, landing the title for trainer Gassim Ghazali with a two-length victory in the QA Gr2 race.   

Also yesterday, there was a close finish in the QA Gr3 Dukhan Sprint and it was the Jamie Osborne-trained Emaraaty Ana, who defeated the Alban de Mieulle-trained Monsieur Noir (GB) by a head under jockey Saffie Osborne.

Al Jeryan Stud’s AJS Jamran, ridden by Szczepan Mazur, reigned supreme in the Gr 1 Qatar International Cup for Purebred Arabians, grabbing a two-and-a half-length for trainer MHK Al Attiyah.

William Buick and Rebel's Romance on their way to win the H H The Amir Trophy.

In the opening race – the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup, Middleham Park Racing LX-owned Brave Emperor recorded a narrow quarter-of-a-length victory over Cairo to bag win for trainer Archie Watson. Luke Morris rode the winner in 1600m race. 

The prestigious three-day Festival hosted by the QREC proved to be  a huge success with a large number of spectators turning out to attend the top notch action.  The lucrative $10m Festival featuring high-profile 26 races saw an unprecedented number of international participation besides the Qatar-trained challengers.