HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Ali al-Thani (fourth from left) and QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani (third from right) are seen with the winners of the Umm Qarn Cup at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. PICTURES: Juhaim

By Chris Hoover/Doha

Injaaz Stud’s Kohala asserted her superiority with a commanding victory in the Umm Qarn Cup, which featured yesterday’s races on the sand track of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club.

Though there were a couple of strong contenders in the fray, Kohala gave no anxious moments to her supporters as she checked in well clear of her opponents under the able riding of Yanis Aouabed, who sped away from the pack to win by a widening margin of two lengths.

Marvin Suerland rode out El Zourda to a facile victory in the Pure Arabian Restricted Stakes. Suerland preferred to wait with the Mohammed Hamad al-Attiya nurtured El Zourda in a handy second position even as Al Yarmouk appeared to have established a comfortable lead. Suerland brought the Mohammed trainee into contention with a couple of backhanders and got his mount into top gear. El Zourda came with a smooth run to pass the front-runner and stretched out well to win by a widening margin of six lengths.

Ali bin Hamad bin Ali al-Attiya’s Uqab was ridden brilliantly by Frenchman Gerald Avranche to a thrilling victory in the local Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 50 and below. Araam swept into the lead from the word ‘go’ as Uqab moved swiftly to be in close proximity of the front runner. Rounding the final bend, Araam showed no signs of weakening even as Al Moheeb threatened only to fade out. It was Ghazali trained Iqab who gathered momentum and essayed a strong challenge. After a brief duel with Araam, Uqab got stronger at the finish to win by a length.

Ghazali saddled Statesmanship shed his maiden status in his eighth outing when he easily accounted for the opposition in the 1,100 metres Thoroughbred Maiden Plate. Jockey Aouabed had Statesmanship in a handy fourth position as Dahab Gold (Suerland up) set the pace. On entering the homestretch, Dahab Gold continued to call the shots, but was soon joined by Statesmanship who came up with a smooth run on the outside. Jockey Auoabed was simply superb on the saddle as he timed his challenge to a nicety. Though Dahab Gold had established a sizeable lead, the perseverance of Auoabed brought the Ghazali trainee into serious contention. Once put into top gear, Statesmanship stretched away to win in fine style. The manner of this victory suggests that he is capable of an encore.

Al Jasra Stud’s Star Deal recorded his first when he trounced his 14 opponents in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 60 to 80. Qatari jockey Yousef al-Hajri and Star Deal hit the front and made every post a winning one as they raced away to a pillar to post victory in a smart timing of two minute 02.16 seconds.

Ibrahim al-Malki schooled Rebelde recorded a facile win in the Thoroughbred Handicap, a race for horses rated 50 to 70. Talkhees found the winner too good and ended up a tame second while Marah Music was a noteworthy third. Jockey Gary Carter rode a confident race on the winner.

Results

1st race: Statesmanship (Yanis Aouabed) 1, Dahab Gold 2, Princess Maya 3, Onebytheknows 4. Won by: 1 ½, 2 ½, ½. Time: 1:06.06. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Dr Fahad bin Abdullah al-Attiyah and Son

2nd race: Uqab (Gerald Avranche) 1, Araam 2, Brave Heart 3, Al Moheeb 4. Won by: 1, Hd, 2. Time: 1:59.45. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Ali bin Hamad bin Ali al-Attiya

3rd race: Rebelde (Gary Carter) 1, Talkhees 2, Marah Music 3, Persidha 4. Won by: 2, Nk, 2. Time: 1:05.51. Trained by: Ibrahim al-Malki. Owned by: Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri

4th race: Star Deal (Yousef al-Hajri) 1, Andalieb 2, Dartford 3, Christmas Aria 4. Won by: 6, 4, 1 ½. Time: 2:02.16. Trained by: A. Abbas. Owned by: Al Jasra Stud

5th race: El Zourda (Marvin Suerland) 1, Al Ejtiyah 2, Tameh 3, Al Yarmouk 4. Won by: 1 ¼, 3, Nk. Time: 2:06.54. Trained by: Mohammed Hamad al-Attiya. Owned by: Khalifa Mohammed Khalifa Abdullah al-Attiyah

6th race: Kohala (Yanis Aouabed) 1, Bern Me Baby 2, Gojeri 3, Olfa 4. Won by: 2, Nk, Shd. Time: 1;11.62. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Injaaz Stud

BELOW:

1) QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani (right) presents a memento to HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Ali al-Thani, under whose patronage the 52nd days races were held at the QREC yesterday.

2) A jubilant trainer Jassim al-Ghazali leads in Kohala (Yanis Aouabed astride) after a victorious outing in the Umm Qarn Cup at the QREC yesterday.