Itorio didn’t have the best of the starts to the season when he finished at the back of the pack in the Qatar Derby in December. The season turned into a see-saw for trainer Mohamed Jassim Ghazali from then on with a win in the mix along with some disappointing runs.


QREC Racing manager Abdullah Rashid al-Kubaisi (right) presents the owner’s trophy to Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari after his colt Itorio won the Al Gharafa Cup yesterday.

That changed yesterday. An impressive mile-long run from the Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari-owned colt saw him win Al Gharafa Cup, a handicap event for thoroughbreds rated 85 and above, that was the feature of the seven-race card at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s turf track in Al Rayyan yesterday.
Jockey Marvin Suerland, who had helmed two maiden winners earlier in the evening, got Itorio to move into the lead at the earliest opportunity and the Irish bred son of Oratorio just didn’t let go off his spot at the top to win by almost a length ahead of Beach Samba, trained by Ibrahim al-Malki and ridden by Cedric Segeon.
Ahmed Kobeissi-schooled Crescent completed the frame.
Ghazali was palpably excited with his ward’s second win.
“He wasn’t in his elements and in the right condition at the start of the season for a long time,” the trainer said. “The first run, he just wasn’t ready after a long layoff. He won after that and then the next two races seemed a bit longer for him. A mile seems the right distance for him and he proved it today.”
The pillar to post victory also impressed the young trainer. “Marvin did what I asked him to, which was to go in the front without pushing too hard. And that worked,” he said. “Itorio likes to run up ahead. If we had held him back for a late charge, that probably wouldn’t have worked. But the distance and the tactics were right up his alley.”
The win was Ghazali’s second of the day.
Earlier, in a pulsating finish, Brett Doyle guided Kalahari Kingdom to a victory in the Class 4 Thoroughbred Handicap race for horses rated 65-85 for the son of champion trainer Jassim Ghazali.
Kalahari Kingdom, the five-year-old son of Footstepsinthesand, had largely stayed away from the front of the 16-strong pack with half-brother Millington and Injaaz Stud’s Polaris jostling for the lead.
On to the final two furlongs, as Millington started falling back, Alberto Sanna had Polaris pick up a bit of pace to edge towards the win. Further back, Doyle had his ride move wide and started surging forward.
As the action moved closer to the post, Polaris, coming off a win in a similar race a week ago for Ghazali senior, was dipping into his energy reserves to keep the lead but Kalahari Kingdom kept surging and eventually edged out the competition for his second win in two months.
Half-brother Step To The Shears completed the top three.
Courtofversailles remained unbeaten this season in Doha winning his third straight run, a Class 3 Thoroughbred Handicap event for horses rated 70-90.
Even as Al Jasra Stud’s Northern Water took the early lead with Juventas and Sunley Pride in pursuit,
jockey Darren Williams had Rashid al-Jehani’s charge Courtofversailles stay the course on the outside in the 1850m run.

With both Juventas and Northern Water slowing down as the post neared, Sunley Pride, with Stephan Ladjadj at the helm, moved ahead but the four-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway closed in to make it a two-horse race and eventually edged out his rival for a win. The Smart One followed in at third.
After managing to finish within the frame over longer distances in the last few outings, Deborah Mountain-trained gelding French Encore made his comfort level very evident for a six-furlong run, with a win in the Class 5 Thoroughbred Conditions race for three-year-olds.
Hassan Ali Abdulmalik-owned three-year-old had a slow start off Gate 3 as Qatari jockey Yousef al-Hajri moved Comedy Night into the lead, with Astley Hall in close pursuit under Richard Mullen.
With Ladjadj at the helm, French Encore steadied in the mix near the rails but stepped outside on to the final straight. With only a furlong to go, Black Beach moved up alongside Astley Hall, but French Encore had already come within striking distance.
Ladjadj whipped his ride into action and with a blistering turn of foot over the final metres, French Encore eased past Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari-owned duo for his first win since November last year. Astley Hall finished second ahead of Black Beach.
In the first race of the day, trainer Mohannad al-Yaqout’s charges swept the top three spots with Al Jeryan Stud’s AJS Gannas going one better than his last outing three weeks ago.
Ridden by Brett Doyle, AJS Gannas finished seven lengths ahead of Sahara Sand, under Darren Williams, and AJS Mezna, with Pier Convertino at the helm, to win the Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate event over six furlongs.
In the other two maiden plate races, Suerland guided the winners, with Al Murqab Stud’s Soebroto, trained by Zuhair Mohsen, winning the Class 6 Thoroughbred Maiden Plate event over a mile and Yousef Bentahar-schooled Daryan Al Naif racing to victory in the Local Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate race.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. AJS Gannas (Brett Doyle), 2. Sahara Sand (Darren Williams), 3. AJS Mezna (Pier Convertino), 4. Mannaa Al Naif (Tadgh O’Shea). Won by: 7, 5. Shd. Time: 1:19.62. Owner: Al Jeryan Stud. Trainer: Mohannad al-Yaqout.
Race 2: 1. Soebroto (Marvin Suerland), 2. Atlantic Sea (Xavier Ziani), 3. Neutron Bomb (Cedric Segeon), 4. Wailess (Darren Williams). Won by: 1 ½, 3, ¾. Time: 1:37.01. Owner: Al Murqab Stud. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen.
Race 3: 1. Daryan Al Naif (Marvin Suerland), 2. Rawaa (JP Guillambert), 3. Al Rafeaa (Stephan Ladjadj), 4. Kasser (Tadgh O’Shea). Won by: 2 ½, 1 ¾, 5. Time: 2:04.44. Owner: Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Ahmed al-Thani. Trainer: Yousef Bentahar.
Race 4: 1. French Encore (Stephan Ladjadj), 2. Astley Hall (Richard Mullen), 3. Black Beach (Alberto Sanna), 4. Shaka Zulu (Cedric Segeon). Won by: 2, ¾, 1. Time: 1:09.73. Owner: Hassan Ali Abdulmalik. Trainer: Deborah Mountain.
Race 5: 1. Kalahari Kingdom (Brett Doyle), 2. Polaris (Alberto Sanna), 3. Step To The Shears (Evert Pheiffer), 4. Alpha Bravo (Almotasem al-Balushi). Won by: Nk, ½, Hd. Time: 1:10.85. Owner: Sheikha Rowdha bint Mishal bin Hamad al-Thani. Trainer: Mohamed Jassim Ghazali.
Race 6: 1. Courtofversailles (Darren Williams), 2. Sunley Pride (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. The Smart One (Richard Mullen), 4. Topsy Turvy (Pier Convertino). Won by: Nk, 2 ½, Shd. Time: 1:52.93. Owner: Khalid Rashid al-Qashash al-Mohanadi. Trainer: Rashid al-Jehani.
Race 7: 1. Itorio (Marvin Suerland), 2. Beach Samba (Cedric Segeon), 3. Crescent (Seb Sanders), 4. Skate (Stephan Ladjadj). Won by: ¾, Nk, Nk. Time: 1:34.75. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari. Trainer: Mohamed Jassim Ghazali.