Tribune News Network
DOHA
Charm Spirit Cup winner Crafted hanged in bravely to win the Al Mamoura Cup, the crowning glory of the 45th Race Meeting at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Racecourse in New Al Rayyan on Thursday.
The six-year-old bay gelding, owned by Ibrahim Saeed al Malki and trained by Ibrahim al Malki, faced a spirited challenge from Itorio. However, Adnan Hawa brilliantly handled him to edge Itorio, ridden by Tadgh O'Shea, by short head, completing his own double but denying trainer Mohammed Jassim Ghazali second win of the day.
In the third place just by head was Malki's another ward Beach Samba under Saleem Golam. Felix Leiter (Jean Baptiste Hamel) and Convergence (Xavier Ziani) got the fourth and fifth places, respectively.
Crafted, who earlier won the Charm Spirit Cup, registered the second winner of the season and overall, it was his sixth triumph in Doha in three seasons.
Earlier, Hawa guided Al Ayyar, saddled by Rashid bin Mubarak Aljafali al Naimi and trained by Majed Seifeddine, to a neck victory over Queen Maouya in the second race. The four-year-old chestnut colt continued the trend of the day of close finishes.
In the first race of the day, Mohammed Jassim Ghazali's trainee Saab Al Manal, owned by Injaaz Stud, clinched the opening race under Almotasem al Balushi. The five-year-old bay colt beat Mister Lal by neck to win the Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate Division 2 race over 1,400m.
Ziani also set up a pulsating short-head triumph for Al Hazam against Draw Swords (Faleh Bughanaim) in the third race to end a long wait for first victory. After making his debut, the four-year-old chestnut colt, owned by Salem Gadgam al Hajri and Sons and trained by S al Hajri, has run 12 races in two seasons before tasting the triumph.
Balushi secured the second winner of the day when he guided Taqarub, a trainee of Jassim Mohammed Ghazali, to a crushing win by seven lengths over Laith. For the Sheail bin Khalifa al Kuwari-owned five-year-old grey colt, this was the first triumph in two races.
Then it was turn of French trainer Alban de Mieulle to strike in successive races. Hamel first took Waqaar, owned by Umm Qarn, to her first triumph in five races in the debut season. She finished two lengths ahead of Mohssn in the Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate 1,600m.
Alberto Sanna then secured the second win for de Mieulle and Umm Qarn in the Purebred Arabian Conditions 1,600m with Samaa beating Caid De L'Ardus (Richard Mullen) by half length.
Parkes and Ride (Abdulla Faisal) and Pleiades (Gerald Avranche) shared the remaining races in contrasting manners. Parkes and Ride beat Zainat by neck to clinch the Thoroughbred Handicap Class 5 for rated 61 75 for his first victory since debut in December last year.
For Pleides, this was the second successive victory when the five-year-old bay colt easily bagged the Thoroughbred Handicap Class 4 (rated 71 to 85) over 2,000m distance, beating Shahbar by three lengths.
45th Race Meeting results
LOCAL THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (DIV 2)1,400m
1st 22,800 2nd 8,800 3rd 4,400
1. Saab Al Manal (Almotasem Al Balushi), 2. Mister Lal (Saleem Golam), 3. Zurich Bu Thaila (Gerald Avranche)
Won by Nk, 1.25, 1.75
Owner:Injaaz Stud. Trainer:Mohammed Jassim Ghazali
LOCAL THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE 1,400m
1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd 4,950
1. Al Ayyar (Adnan Hawa), 2. Queen Maouya (Rashid al Marri* (-5kg), 3. Al Jazeera (Faleh Bughanaim)
Won by Nk, 0.5, 1
Owner: Rashid Bin Mubarak Aljafali Al Naimi. Trainer: Majed Seifeddine
THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (CLASS 6) 1,400m
1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd 4,950
1. Al Hazam (Xavier Ziani), 2. Draw Swords (Faleh Bughanaim), 3. Al Mikdam (Marvin Suerland)
Won by Shd, 1.75, 0.75
Owner: Salem Gadgam al Hajri & Sons. Trainer: S al Hajri
PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE (DIV 2) 1,600m
1st 22,800 2nd 8,800 3rd 4,400
1. Taqarub (Almotasem al Balushi), 2. Laith (Saleem Golam), 3. Al Raad (Kelly Harrison)
Won by 7, 2, 12
Owner: Sheail bin Khalifa al Kuwari. Trainer: Jassim Mohammed Ghazali
PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE 1,600m
1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd 4,950
1. Waqaar (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Mohssn (Richard Mullen), 3. Djumana KB (Tomas Lukasek)
Won by 2, 0.75, 1.25
Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle
PUREBRED ARABIAN CONDITIONS 1,600m
1st 42,750 2nd 16,500 3rd 8,250
1. Samaa (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Caid De L’Ardus (Richard Mullen), 3. Majdan (Alberto Sanna)
Won by 0.5, 3.5, 1.5
Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle
THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (CLASS 5) rated 61 - 75 1,600m
1st 34,200 2nd 13,200 3rd 6,600
1. Parkes and Ride (Abdulla Faisal), 2. Zainat (Gerald Avranche), 3. Rijm (Marvin Suerland)
Won by Nk, Hd, 0.5
Owner: Khalid Nasser al Naimi. Trainer: K. al Nuaimi
THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (CLASS 4) rated 71 – 85 2,000m
1st 34,200 2nd 13,200 3rd 6,600
1. Pleiades (Gerald Avranche), 2. Shahbar (Marvin Suerland), 3. Spirit Of Qatar (Richard Mullen)
Won by 3, 1.5, Nk
Owner: Hamad bin Abdulrahman bin Hamad al Attiya. Trainer: Wasim Mohammed
AL MAMOURA CUP TB handicap (Class 2) rated 105 & below 1,400m
1st 57,000 2nd 22,000 3rd 11,000 4th 6,000 5th 4,000
1. Crafted (Adnan Hawa), 2Itorio (Tadgh O’Shea), 3. Beach Samba (Saleem Golam), 4. Felix Leiter (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 5. Convergence (Xavier Ziani)
Won by Shd, Hd, 1, 1.25, 2
Owner: Ibrahim Saeed al Malki. Trainer: Ibrahim al Malki