+ A
A -
Raajiv Tripathi
DOHA
Topsy Turvy followed his January's Al Areeq Cup victory with another commanding performance under rider Saleem Golam with a triumph in the Al Wajba Cup, the feature event on the 28th Race Meeting on Thursday.
At the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Racecourse in New Al Rayyan, the six-year-old bay gelding produced a hot dash as he and Vitally Important went on to upstage higher-rated Karrar.
While Topsy Turvy, owned by Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al Thani and trained by Ibrahim Saeed Ibrahim al Malki, clinched the 1,900m run with three and a half lengths, Vitally Important, with Faleh Bughanaim astride, beat 108-rated Karrar by over two lengths to get the second spot.
Aluqdah (Stephan Ladjadj) was quite close to Karrar (Tomas Lukasek) while landing the fourth spot and Harry Bentley led Third Dimension, rated 103, to complete the top-five, getting the better of Erroneous.
This was the third victory of the season for Topsy Turvy and overall 10th winner in 23 runs in Doha.
This triumph enabled trainer Malki to wrap up a double as Eduardo Pedroza guided Shobrom, owned by Rumailah Stud, to his first victory in second run here. The three-year-old bay gelding was two and a half lengths ahead of Cristofano Allori when he won the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate Class 6 over 1,000m.
Earlier, British rider Bentley dominated the meeting, providing enabling owner Khalifa bin Sheail al Kuwari and trainer Jassim Mohammed Ghazali Jahromi to bag a triple each. First, Sheikspear, under Bentley, celebated his debut in Doha with a victory in the Thoroughbred Handicap Class 4 1,200m sprint. The four-year-old bay colt beat Palmetto Dunes (Pierantonio Convertino) narrowly by a quarter length.
Bentley and Masked Defender won the fifth race of the day Thoroughbred Maiden Plate Class 6 as they brushed aside the challenge of Al Mikdam (Suerland) by over a length. The three-year-old bay colt tasted his first triumph in Doha in two runs.
The third victory for Kuwari and Jahromi came in the fourth race, which was the Thoroughbred Novice Plate Class 6. JP Guillambert controlled Hydroxide superbly during the closing stages of the 1,200m sprint and enabled the four-year-old gelding to win over Beach Samba by quarter of a length.
Theo Bachelot pushed Sandaan, owned and trained by Ahmed Sultan Ahmed al Jabir, to end his dry spell in Doha as the four-year-old gray colt posted his first victory in 10 races in Doha, winning the Local Thoroughbre Maiden Plate Division 1 over 1,200m distance. He created a gap of nearly five lengths before beating Musaiter Bu Thaila.
Other winners of the day included Ras Mlaejy (Suerland), Al Afreet (Lukasek) and Nagham Raneen.
Results
28th Race Meeting (turf)
THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 4) 1,200m
1: QR 31,350, 2: QR 12,100, 3: QR 6050
1. Sheikspear (Harry Bentley), 2. Palmetto Dunes (Pierantonio Convertino), 3. Town Crier (Gerald Avranche)
Won by 0.25, head, 3. Time 1:12.63
Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohammed Ghazali Jahromi
THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 5) 1,700m
1: QR 28,500, 2: QR 11,000, 3: QR 5500
1. Ras Mlaejy (Marvin Suerland), 2. Abbey Village (JP Guillambert),
3. Truancy (Stephan Ladjadj)
Won by 3.5, 2.5, 2. Time 1:50.29
Owner & Trainer: Hossin Mohammad Ashour
PUREBRED ARABIAN GRADUATION PLATE 1,700m
1: QR 28,500, 2: QR 11000, 3: QR 5,500
1. Al Afreet (Tomas Lukasek), 2. Aaley Al Magam (Theo Bachelot), 3. Bsheer (Faleh Bughanaim)
Won by 5.5, 2.5, 1.25. Time 1:59.16
Owner & Trainer: Mohanad Jassim al Yaqout
THOROUGHBRED NOVICE PLATE (Class 6) 1,200m
1: QR 25,650, 2: QR 9,900, 3: QR 4,950
1. Hydroxide (JP Guillambert), 2. Beach Samba (Pierantonio Convertino), 3. Noble Masterpiece (Harry Bentley)
Won by 0.25, 7.5, 1.75. Time 1:11.85
Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohammed Ghazali Jahromi
THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (Class 6) 1,700m
1: QR 25,650, 2: QR 9,900, 3: QR 4,950
1. Masked Defender (Harry Bentley), 2. Al Mikdam (Marvin Suerland), 3. Sugar Strand (Theo Bachelot)
Won by 1.25, 0.5, 4.5. Time 1:50.35
Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail al Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohammed Ghazali Jahromi
LOCAL THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (Fillies & Mares) (Div 2) 1,200m
1: QR 25,650, 2: QR 9,900, 3: QR 4950
1. Nagham Raneen (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. Rawdat Al Khail (Harry Bentley),
3. Reem Brooq (Pierantonio Convertino)
Won by 1, 8, 9.25. Time 1:13.82
Owner: Mubarak bin Saeed Aljafai al Naimi. Trainer: Hadi Nasser Rashid al Ramzani
LOCAL THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (Colts & Geldings) (Div 1) 1,600m
1: QR 25,650, 2: QR 9,900, 3: QR 4,950
1. Sandaan (Theo Bachelot), 2. Musaiter Bu Thaila (JP Guillambert), 3. Nahaab (Saleem Golam)
Won by 4.75, 2.75, 0.25. Time 1:13.87
Owner: Ahmed Sultaqn Ahmed al Jabir. Trainer: Abdulla Sultan Ahmed al Jabir
THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (Class 6) 1,000m
1: QR 25,650, 2: QR 9,900, 3: QR 4,950
1. Shobrom (Eduardo Pedroza), 2. Cristofano Allori (Stephan Ladjadj), 3. Almasah (Marvin Suerland)
Won by 2.25, 3.25, 0.75. Time 1:53.70
Owner: Rumailah Stud. Trainer: Ibrahim Saeed al Malki
AL WAJBA CUP 1,900m
Total PM: QR 100,000 - 1: QR 57,000, 2: QR 22,000, 3: QR 11,000, 4: QR 6,000, 5: QR 4,000
1. Topsy Turvy (Saleem Golam), 2. Vitally Important (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Karraar (Tomas Lukasek), 4. Aluqdah (Stephan Ladjadj), 5. Third Dimension (Harry Bentley)
Won by 3.5, 5.5, 1.5, 6.25, 2. Time 2:00.94
Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim Saeed al Malki
