The 2015-16 horse racing season came to a thrilling conclusion with a photo-finish deciding the winner of Club Breeders Trophy at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Al Rayyan racetrack yesterday.


Trainer Mohannad al-Yaqout (left) receives the trophy from QREC Racing manager Abdullah Rashid al-Kubaisi after Zman Awal won the Al Ghariya Cup yesterday.

Eventually, Hassan al-Matwi-saddled Jalwa Al Jazeera stayed unbeaten in her short two-race career so far, with Tadgh O’Shea riding the three-year-old daughter of Majd Al Arab to a win in the seven-furlong race for three-year-olds Purebred Arabians.
Trainer Mohannad al-Yaqout, who had already had three winners on the day, had to settle for the second and third place in the final race of the season, with Al Jeryan Stud’s duo AJS Gannas, edged out at the post, and AJS Mezna finishing second and third respectively.


Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (left), who had two winners on the day in Mowhoubat Al Zaidy and Al Uraiq Secret, receives owner’s trophy from Kuwait’s Mubarak al-Dihani.

Al-Yaqout had tasted victory on the day with Zman Awal, who notched up her third victory of the season, AJS Al Rayyan, and maiden winner World Fair. With 15 winners this season, four less than his last haul, al-Yaqout wasn’t completely satisfied with his run this season.
“I have had some memorable wins, but I am not completely satisfied. I will be working towards coming back with much better performance. That’s the goal at the moment,” he said after the race.
Zman Awal, with Marco Monteriso astride, won the Class 2 Al Ghariya Cup for thoroughbred fillies and mares, beating Oaks winner Bronze Maquette by three lengths.
To begin with, Tautira, with Qatari jockey Yousef al-Hajri at the helm, set the early pace even as Monteriso and his ride stayed away from the front. As the action moved into the final bend, Monteriso found a gap and Zman Awal was off and away, giving no chance to others for a fine win.
Osama Omar al-Dhafea’s Tautira finished third behind Mohamed Hussain’s Bronze Maquette.
AJS Al Rayyan stayed true to his top rating when the son of Amer edged out the competition closer to the post for a win in the Al Areesh Cup, a 2000m conditions race for purebred Arabians.
Rated 111, AJS Al Rayyan, ridden by Monteriso, settled a couple of lengths behind early leader Bahia Du Barthas, owned by Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari and trained by Jassim Ghazali.
With the final stretch coming up, the rest of the field closed in on Alberto Sanna’s ride, understandably digging into her energy reserves.
With half a furlong to go, AJS Al Rayyan went past Bahia Du Barthas, and so did Injaaz Stud duo of Al Marboush and Mayasa, with the latter edging out Al Marboush at the post for the second spot.
Trainer Ibrahim al-Malki picked up two straight wins with horses owned by Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani — Mowhoubat Al Zaidy and Al Uraiq Secret.
Jockey Marvin Suerland guided Mowhoubat Al Zaidy to a victory in the Purebred Arabian Handicap event for horses rated 60-90, with Marj Eyoun, saddled by Mohamed Jassim Ghazali, and Heytham, schooled by Abduljabar Ali, rounding up the top three.
Al Uraiq Secret won the Umm Bab Cup, a six furlong run for three-year-olds local thoroughbreds, with jockey Cedric Segeon astride the three-year-old colt on only his second career outing.
Al Uraiq Secret shed his maiden status with a comfortable three and a half length win over second placed Asaaf, under Suerland, and Alberto Sanna’s ride Musaiter Bu Thaila.
In the first two races of the day, Waeed and World Fair shed their maiden statuses in contrasting fashions. Waeed, helmed by jockey Adnan Hawa, raced away with a comfortable five-length win in the Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate event. The six-furlong run was Waeed’s fifth overall and the shortest on turf.
On the other hand, World Fair, ridden by Segeon, had always stayed out of the frame at the Al Rayyan race track.
All that changed yesterday, when al-Yaqout-trained filly won what transformed into a three-way battle closer to the post, with Atlantic Sea and Tortilla Jackson completing the top three.

RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Waeed (Adnan Hawa), 2. Mahbooba (Tadgh O’Shea), 3. Al Jazeera (Stephan Ladjadj), 4. Sky Metro (Faleh Bughanaim). Won by: 5, Shd, ½. Time: 1:13.76. Owner: Rashid Mubarak Aljafali al-Naimi. Trainer: Majed Seifeddine.
Race 2: 1. World Fair (Cedric Segeon), 2. Atlantic Sea (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Tortilla Jackson
(Marvin Suerland), 4. Rome (Yousef al-Hajri). Won by: ½, ½, 2. Time: 1:05.89. Owner: Mohamed bin Hamad Khalifa al-Attiyah. Trainer: Mohannad al-Yaqout.
Race 3: 1. Mowhoubat Al Zaidy (Marvin Suerland), 2. Marj Eyoun (Richard Mullen), 3. Heytham (Cedric Segeon), 4. Al Aayar (Marco Monteriso). Won by: 1 ¾, ¾, ¾. Time: 1:17.65. Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 4: 1. Al Uraiq Secret (Cedric Segeon), 2. Asaaf (Marvin Suerland), 3. Musaiter Bu Thaila (Alberto Sanna), 4. Sobheya (Stephan Ladjadj). Won by: 3 ½, ¾, Nk. Time: 1:13.76. Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 5: 1. AJS Al Rayyan (Marco Monteriso), 2. Mayasa (Richard Mullen), 3. Al Marboush (Tadgh O’Shea), 4. Bahia Du Barthas (Alberto Sanna). Won by: 1 1/4, Hd, 3/4. Time: 2:15.16. Owner: Al Jeryan Stud. Trainer: Mohannad al-Yaqout.
Race 6: 1. Zman Awal (Marco Monteriso), 2. Bronze Maquette (Tadgh O’Shea), 3. Tautira (Yousef al-Hajri), 4. Rasheeda (Adnan Hawa). Won by: 3, Nk, Nk. Time: 1:22.30. Owner: Mohamed bin Hamad Khalifa al-Attiyah. Trainer: Mohannad al-Yaqout.
Race 7: 1. Jalwa Al Jazeera (Tadgh O’Shea), 2. AJS Gannas (Brett Doyle), 3. AJS Mezna (Marco Monteriso), 4. Mannaa Al Naif (Alberto Sanna). Won by: Shd, 2 1/2, 5. Time: 1:33.72. Owner: Hassan Ali Hassan al-Matwi. Trainer: Hassan al-Matwi.