(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Molheb Al Naif continued his upward run and in style when Yousef Ben Taher's ward won the mile long HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday.
The turf race-day also saw Umm Qarn's TM Thunder Struck take the honours in the HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Cup (Gr3 PA) for the second straight year, while Qatar Derby winner Easter De Faust stayed unbeaten in Qatar topping HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Silver Cup.
Al Naif Racing's Molheb Al Naif, the highest rated horse in the field, had come into yesterday's feature on the back of three straight wins under Gerald Avranche, who was astride the grey son of Amer once again, and the result was no different yesterday as the six-year-old beat Hassan Ali al-Matwi's impressive colt Raqee with two lengths and three quarters to spare.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani's Reda, also rated 122 like Molheb Al Naif, completed the top three for Julian Smart under Theo Bachelot's ride.
In the penultimate race of the day, Alban de Mieulle's ward, TM Thunder Struck, was back in the winner's enclosure, having beaten a Smart ward for the second straight year in the race. After denying Ba'sil last year, this time, the eight-year-old Umm Qarn horse, who had won the Group 2 Qatar National Day Trophy last month, beat a capable Shabih Alreeh by a length under Jean Baptiste Hamel.
The owner-trainer-jockey trio of Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari, Jassim Mohamed Ghazali and Harry Bentley swept three straight races with French recruit Easter De Faust notching a hat-trick of wins that also includes a Group 1 in France and the Derby last month.
And just like in the Derby the four-year-old filly beat Umm Qarn's Al Kabeer for the victory, while Hossin Mohamed Ashour's ward Monfarid was guided to third by talented Qatari jockey Faleh Bughanaim in Al Shaqab Racing silks.
Caid De L'Ardus and The Blue Eye were the other winners for the trio, with the former winning the Majd Al Arab Sprinters Championship (Gr3 PA), while the 2016 HH The Emir's Trophy topper leading a one-two for Ghazali in the Umm Qarn Trophy for Thoroughbreds.
Smart and jockey Theo Bachelot did have two winners on the day with Sheikh Mohamed-owned Barwod opening the eight-race card with a win in the Very Nice Name Cup, a Class 5 Thoroughbred Graduation Plate event, while, Al Shahania Stud's Oryx stayed unbeaten in Qatar with a victory, his second straight, in the Charm Spirit Cup, a Thoroughbred handicap event for horses rated 70-90.
Ibrahim al-Malki's Khataaf brushed aside his Qatar Derby disappointment with his fourth victory this season, when Saleem Golam guided the four-year-old gelding to victory in the 1850m Yasmeen Cup, a Thoroughbred handicap event for horses rated 70-90.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Barwod (Theo Bachelot), 2. Beach Samba (Saleem Golam), 3. Tea Leaf (JP Guillambert), 4. War Order (Carlo Fiocchi). Won by: 1 ¼, ½, ¼. Time: 1:36.55. Owner: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani. Trainer: Julian Smart.
Race 2: 1. Oryx (Theo Bachelot), 2. Al Maftoon (Harry Bentley), 3. Hillside Dream (Pier Convertino), 4. Poet's Song (Tomas Lukasek). Won by: ½, Shd, 1 ¼. Time: 1:23.49. Owner: Al Shahania Stud. Trainer: Julian Smart.
Race 3: 1. Khataaf (Saleem Golam), 2. Ard San Aer (Vaclav Janacek), 3. Shabbab (Faleh Bughanaim), 4. Parkes and Ride (Gerald Avranche). Won by: ½, ¼, ¼. Time: 1:54.02. Owner: Ibrahim al-Malki. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 4: 1. The Blue Eye (Harry Bentley), 2. Opera Baron (JP Guillambert), 3. Al Mohalhal (Stephan Ladjadj), 4. Duke of Dundee (Jean Baptiste Hamel). Won by: 2, ¾, ½. Time: 2:03.36. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 5: 1. Caid De L'Ardus (Harry Bentley), 2. Qassy (Marc Lerner), 3. Ba'sil (Theo Bachelot), 4. Mutazz (Gerald Avranche). Won by: 1 ½, 1 ¾, No. Time: 1:11.60. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 6: 1. Easter De Faust (Harry Bentley), 2. Al Kabeer (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Monfarid (Faleh Bughanaim), 4. Anouf (Marvin Suerland). Won by: 1 ¾, 4 ½, 1 ¼. Time: 2:30.38. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 7: 1. TM Thunder Struck (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Shabih Alreeh (Theo Bachelot), 3. AJS Al Rayyan (Eduardo Pedroza), 4. Mahess Du Soleil (Carlo Fiocchi). Won by: 1, 3 ½, 1 ½. Time: 1:44.67. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 8: 1. Molheb Al Naif (Gerald Avranche), 2. Raqee (Marc Lerner), 3. Reda (Theo Bachelot), 4. Rassan (Harry Bentley). Won by: 2 ¾, 1 ½, Shd. Time: 1:44.40. Owner: Al Naif Racing. Trainer: Yousef Ben Taher.
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