(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatari Horse Trainer of the Year Ibrahim al-Malki saddled the two Thoroughbred Guineas winners yesterday with Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani's Al Gazi winning the Qatar Group 3 feature at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club's Al Rayyan Park turf track yesterday.
Al-Malki, who was recently honoured at the Qatar Sports Excellence Awards, is also the handler of Black Pearl, the winner in the Local Thoroughbred Guineas earlier in the evening.
While Anas al-Seyabi rode Al Gazi in the mile-long finale to the horse's second straight course and distance victory this season, it was Eduardo Pedroza in the saddle for Black Pearl.
Black Pearl was the second winner on the day for the trainer-jockey combine of al-Malki and Pedroza, with the son of Footstepsinthesand topping the Local Thoroughbreds Guineas in breezy fashion.
Having made a winning debut in April this year, the Abdulatif Hussain al-Emadi-owned gelding stayed unbeaten finishing a little more than three lengths ahead of the competition for a comfortable win.
Alban de Mieulle-trained Marid bounced back from a muted run at the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp in Paris to win the Purebred Arabian Guineas on his Qatar debut yesterday.
However, the highly-rated TM Fred Texas colt had three impressive wins in France under his belt and his ability was never in question.
Yesterday, over the mile, he beat Qatar-bred AJS Moaddie, ridden by Tomas Lukasek for Hadi Nasser al-Ramzani, by half-a-length in a scintillating finish to the QR150,000 race.
Qatari apprentice rider Rashid Ali al-Marri rode his second winner of the season when he guided Al Thumama Racing's Qassy to victory in the Purebred Arabian Handicap event for horses rated 90 and below. The victory, which saw the nine-year-old gelding finish one-and-a-half lengths ahead of Osama Omer al-Dafea's Evolution Du Croate, was also trainer Mohamed Hussain's first of the season.
Al Shahania Stud's Mon'nia was the second winner of the season for trainer Julian Smart after she won the Purebred Arabian Plate event for three-year-old horses yesterday. The filly, a winner in France on debut, made a similar start to her Qatar stint, with Tomas Lukasek riding her to an almost three length victory over 1850m on turf yesterday.
After opening his Qatar tenure with a runner-up finish, Return To Senders went one better on his second outing under JP Guillambert to win the Thoroughbred Plate event for two-year-olds.
Jassim Mohamed Ghazali's ward led from pillar to post even as Adrie de Vries-ridden Think Big ran out of real estate, coming threateningly close.
The day's proceedings began with two Thoroughbreds notching their respective hat-trick of victories with Pedroza riding al-Malki-trained Admiral to a close victory in the Local Thoroughbred Handicap event by three quarters of a length, and Ryan Curatolo riding his 14th winner of the season — Ahmed Kobeissi-saddled Beach Samba — in the Thoroughbred Handicap event.
Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik-owned Beach Samba showed some exceptional pace going from the back of the pack to taking his third straight win this season on the home straight. The gelding has been enjoying a spectacular season so far having won last month for the first time since 2015, moving up the distance on each of his three outings — from 1200m to a mile yesterday.
Another Thoroughbred to show an amazing turn of foot on the home straight was Stefano Ibido-trained Dark Pursuit. Under Luca Maniezzi, the gelding, who had some creditable finishes this year, continued pushing on the home straight to win by one-and-a-half lengths.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Admiral (Eduardo Pedroza), 2. Qate'e (Harry Bentley), 3. Faris (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 4. Lawainah (Ronan Thomas). Won by: ¾, ¾, ½. Time: 1:38.47. Owner: Sheikh Khalid bin Jassim bin Thani al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 2: 1. Beach Samba (Ryan Curatolo), 2. Gangland (Saleh Salem al-Marri), 3. On The Front Line (Carlos Henrique), 4. Al Hasnaa (Harry Bentley). Won by: 1 ¼, ¾, 1. Time: 1:36.15. Owner: Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik. Trainer: Ahmed Kobeissi.
Race 3: 1. Dark Pursuit (Luca Maniezzi), 2. Hadeer (Pier Convertino), 3. Southernmachoman (Ronan Thomas), 4. Life Of Riley (Gary Sanchez). Won by: 1 ½, ¼, ¾. Time: 1:11.74. Owner: Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri. Trainer: Stefano Ibido.
Race 4: 1. Return To Senders (JP Guillambert), 2. Think Big (Adrie de Vries), 3. Forced (Ryan Curatolo), 4. Flash Henry (Harry Bentley). Won by: ½, 3 ½, Nk. Time: 1:11.93. Owner: Nasser Saeed al-Eida. Trainer: Jassim Mohamed Ghazali.
Race 5: 1. Mon'nia (Tomas Lukasek), 2. Minstrel (Ryan Curatolo), 3. Mkayns (Faleh Bughanaim), 4. Ginkeau (Anas al-Seyabi). Won by: 2 ¾, 1 ¼, Nk. Time: 2:03.24. Owner: Al Shahania Stud. Trainer: Julian Smart.
Race 6: 1. Qassy (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 2. Evolution Du Croate (Anas al-Seyabi), 3. Djelamer (Carlos Henrique), 4. She'ris (Eduardo Pedroza). Won by: 1 ½, ¼, 4. Time: 1:44.28. Owner: Al Thumama Racing. Trainer: Mohamed Hussain.
Race 7: 1. Black Pearl (Eduardo Pedroza), 2. Ifreet (Luca Maniezzi), 3. Al Khor Surprise (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Aafreen (Ronan Thomas). Won by: 3 ¼, 1 ¾, No. Time: 1:38.72. Owner: Abdulatif Hussain al-Emadi. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 8: 1. Marid (Ronan Thomas), 2. AJS Moaddie (Tomas Lukasek), 3. Fuwairat (Eduardo Pedroza), 4. Husam (Soufiane Saadi). Won by: ½, 1 ¼, Shd. Time: 1:47.32. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 9: 1. Al Gazi (Anas al-Seyabi), 2. Markhor (Luca Maniezzi), 3. Arabic Channel (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Julius Limbani (Adrie de Vries). Won by: ½, No, 1 ¼. Time: 1:36.48. Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
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