Abbes wins Qatar Gold Sword for third consecutive year

On a four-win evening for Wathnan Racing at the Al Rayyan Racecourse, Abbes claimed the Qatar Gold Sword for the third year in a row.The seven-year-old HH The Amir Sword winner signed off a superb day for owner Wathnan Racing, trainer Alban de Mieulle and jockey James Doyle as the grey horse added their fourth victory on the day, by clinching the US$250,000 race.During a beautifully judged ride, the British jockey waited until the final 200m of the 2,000m race for the four-year-old+ Purebred Arabians to unleash Abbes’s turn of foot and win by three quarters of a length ahead of HE Sheikha Iman M K al-Thani-owned and Rudy Andre Nerbonne-trained Dawi. Methgal, in the colours of HE Sheikha Reem M K al-Thani, came third.HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HE Sheikh Al Qaqa bin Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received the Qatar Gold Sword from Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, QREC Chairman.In the penultimate race of the meet, Bolthole landed the QA Gr1 Qatar Gold Trophy giving owner Wathnan Racing, Alban de Mieulle and Doyle their third winner in the evening. The five-year-old horse settled in mid-position throughout the 2,200m race for the four-year-old+ Thoroughbreds and once in the straight, he came with a powerful charge from outside to overtake the leaders and win by over two lengths over Hamad al-Jehani schooled stud-mate Haunted Dream.The winning trio had their second winner on the day as they teamed up to good effect with the eight-year-old Bakir, who won the 1,600m race for four-year-old+ Local Purebred Arabians by a length ahead of his nearest rival.At the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s (QREC) racecourse, the first win of the evening for the trio came when Equinoxe once again showed his class, winning the Local Thoroughbred Cup for the fourth straight year. The Alban de Mieulle-trained seven-year-old star came with a sweep in the home straight to take the 1,850m race for the four-year-old+ in impressive fashion by three and a half lengths, exactly as he did last year, under Doyle.AJS Lattam also retained the Qatar Silver Sword for Al Jeryan Stud for the second straight year. Trainer MHK al-Attiyah and jockey Szczepan Mazur were back in the winner’s enclosure for the second time in the evening, as the black colt recorded a pillar-to-post victory and held on gamely to win the 1850m race for four-year-old Purebred Arabians by half a length.Aafoor got off the mark with a valuable victory, winning the Al Wajba Trophy for Al Jeryan Stud. The chestnut colt has been knocking on the door, finishing placed in all his previous five starts. In the 1850m contest for the three-year-old Thoroughbreds, he managed to land the spoils for trainer al-Attiyah and Mazur, having edged the gallant Greer by a short head.The Osama Omer Al Dafea-owned and trained Taxiwala also impressed as he retained the Sealine Sprint Trophy for the fourth time in a row. As ever, the seven-year-old proved the fastest in the 1200m open race for the four-year-old+ Thoroughbreds. Under jockey Maxime Guyon, the bay gelding prevailed by a length and a half.In the opening race of the evening, Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Lafan began the meeting, getting off the mark at fourth time of asking, as he won the Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Cup, having prevailed in the 1600m contest for four-year-olds by three quarters of a length for trainer Jean de Mieulle and jockey Valentin Seguy.On the occasion, al-Mohannadi, QREC chairman, crowned the Al Sabiq Championship winners Mohamed Fahad al-Khayareen al-Hajri, Abdulaziz Ahmed al-Ojaan al-Khayareen, Salem Salem al-Marri and Rashid Mohamed Ali Abdulla.