(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha: The premier race of Qatar's racing season produced stunning action as Jim Crowley guided Lady Princess to HH The Amir Sword glory after a pulsating battle at packed Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday.
The sensational Group 1 Purebred Arabian – the third leg of the Triple Crown – race provided a fitting end to the prestigious HH The Amir Sword Festival 2022, with the competitors firing on all cylinders to clinch top honour.
The connection of Lady Princess celebrate after the Khalifa bin Sheail KH J Al Kuwari-owned six-year-old mare won HH The Amir Sword (Gr 1 PA).
The 2,400m race – carrying a prize purse of a whopping $1m – was also attended by the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who crowned the winners of the high-profile races on final day of the three-day festival.
Lady Princess, owned by Khalifa bin Sheail KH J Al Kuwari, started as favourite having won the Qatar International Stakes at Goodwood and the Jewel Crown in Abu Dhabi recently.
But the bay mare – trained by Frenchman Thomas Fourcy – faced tough resistance from Abbes – ridden by Olivier Peslier – and Maxime Guyon-helmed Ebraz, a three-time winner of the prestigious title.
In the final 200m of the thrilling race, it could have been anybody's victory with defending champion Mon'nia, ridden by Szczepan Mazur, and Soufiane Saadi-steered Mwarid also in contention.
The connection of Moshrif, winner of HH The Amir Silver Sword, celebrate their victory.
But Lady Princess, who finished third last year, made a last-gasp surge to edge Abbes by just half length to complete a thrilling victory.
The six-year-old's victory also completed a grand double for owner Khalifa bin Sheail and jockey Crowley, who earlier claimed the HH The Amir Silver Sword with Moshrif.
While Abbes finished second in day's final race, Ebraz claimed third position, with Mwarid and Mon'nia settling on fourth and fifth positions respectively.
The winners got richer by $570,000, while the runners-up received $220,000 with third-place winners walking away with $110,000.
The connection of Outbox (GB) with the seven-year-old gelding after winning the HH The Amir Trophy (QA Gr 1) yesterday.
Outbox stuns favourites to clinch HH The Amir Trophy
Ahead of the HH The Amir Trophy – yesterday's first major race over the exact distance and the same prize-pot – a lot of favourites were mentioned including the last year's winner Noor Al Hawa and Hellenistique.
But it was the lowest-rated Outbox, steered by Hollie Doyle, who defied big guns to win HH The Amir Trophy by half length for trainer Archie Watson.
“Outbox run a cracker but she (Hollie Doyle) gave him a great ride. She got him out and into a good position and he travelled well the whole leg. Really good,” Watson told reporters.
Praising Qatar's organisation, the British trainer said she loved the atmosphere on a“brilliant” racing day.
“Lovely day for racing, a great place to be and a good trip to come over to Doha. My first time here in Qatar straight from the UK, and it is fantastic, a great atmosphere here and everyone's very welcoming to us. It's been really, really good,” she added.
Peslier rode Mutabahi to second place in the race while Fox Tal secured third position with David Probert. Noor Al Hawa, ridden by Alberto Sanna, ended up on fourth spot while Tomas Lukasek-helmed In the Night completed the top 5 club.
Meanwhile, Moshrif was in a class of his own as the colt – ridden by Crowley – stormed to one-and-a- half-length victory in the $250,000 HH The Amir Silver Sword.
The Francois Rohaut-trained four-year-old dominated the race as he completed a clear win over Guyon-guided Sahab and Monda – ridden by Tom Marquand – who finished second and third respectively.
Also yesterday, HH The Amir Shalfa honours went to Marquand-steered Thunderstone, who pipped Always Waitin – guided by Marco Casamento – by quarter-of-a- length to bag a win for trainer Jassim Ghazali. Eduardo Pedroza-guided Pazeer secured third position in the race.
Earlier, Guyon, who won Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup title with Pao Alto on the second day, bagged victory for Ghazali, riding Nuance to a dominant win in Al Rayyan Mile - Thoroughbreds (Class 1).
It was third title of the day for jockey Guyon, who rode Samlla to a big triumph at the Qatar International Cup, and Black Pearl to another commanding win at the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup.
Taxiwala, with Ronan Thomas in the saddle, also notched up a title, winning the Dukhan Sprint.
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