Day three of the HH the Emir’s Sword Racing Festival was the most exciting one. Eight races were run on the February 24, at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. All of them were interesting and important to the Qatar Racing Season. Some tough fights yet others were comfortable wins, all in the days racing.
The day started with the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup a race of local thoroughbreds with prize money of USD 250,000. It was won by the Hadi Nasser Rashid Al Ramzani trained Cannon. The race was hard for Cannon as he was running for the first time in a 2000m in Qatar. Theo Bachelot ridden Moaddie and Christophe Soumillon ridden Asaaf came in second and third respectively.
The second race was the Qatar International Cup run over 1600m with a prize money of USD 250,000. Molheb Al Naif owned by Yousef Ben Taher Mehaoued had a confortable win in this race beating Francois Rohaut trained Ateej by a length. Carab ridden by Harry Bentley came in third.
The next race was the Dukhan Sprint a group 3 event for thoroughbred 3 YO horses which was run over 1200m with a prize money of USD 250,000. David O'Meara trained Intisaab won a thrilling race. Jassim Mohammed Ghazali Jahromi owned Izzthatright who had won the 2017 version of this race came in second. Andrea Atzeni ridden Gulliver completed the top three after coming in third.
A group 2 event the Al Biddah Mile was run over 1600m with a prize money of USD 250,000 was the fourth race of the day. Roger Teal trained Tip Two Win won this race in an amazing style. This was Tip Two Win first race over a mile after winning the Al Rayyan Stakes in December. Oisin Murphy ridden Anima Rock took a comfortable second spot and Harry Bentley ridden Mualah held on to the third place after being an early leader in the race.
The next race was the HH The Emirs Shalfa run over a distance of 2000m with a prize money of USD 250,000. Ibrahim Saeed Ibrahim Al Malki trained Pazeer has had an amazing strike rate recently and he showed his class after winning this race in the final metres of the race. Marc Lerner ridden Shabbab held onto the second place as Jimmy Quinn ridden Khataaf took the third place.
Another interesting race HH The Emirs Silver Sword which was run over a distance of 1850m for 4YO (PA) with a prize money of USD 250,000 was won by the Khalifa Bin Sheail Al Kuwari owned filly Easter De Faust. Oisin Murphy again held onto the second place this time riding Jethjath and Tomas Lukasek ridden Evolution Du Croate took the third place.
The 2400m run group 1 event with a prize money of USD 1 Million, HH The Emirs Trophy was a very interesting race on Saturday. Frankie Dettori-ridden Money Multiplier, and Qatar Derby winner Mac Mahon and UK raider Chemical Charge could not stop the Khalifa Bin Sheail Al Kuwari owned The Blue Eye from winning the race under Harry Bentley. Eduardo Pedroza ridden Noor Al Hawa and Frankie Dettori-ridden Money Multiplier came in second and third respectively.
The 2400m run race for a prize money of another USD 1 Million, was won by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani owned Gazwan for the second time. Gazwan had last raced in the Qatar Arabian World Cup in Chantilly and won it. Theo Bachelot ridden Ebraz pushed himself to take the second place and except a defeat at the hands of Gazwan for the second time. Alban Elie Marie De Mieulle trained Yazeed took the third spot.
By Apurva Chavan, Racing Writer, apurva.chavan@secretariatsworld.com