Wathnan Racing and jockey James Doyle completed a quick-fire double in the day’s feature contest, as Dark Trooper took the QA Gr3 Barzan Cup, 1400m race for Thoroughbreds at the Al Uqda Racecourse on Thursday.
It was a thrilling finish as the Alban de Mieulle-trained four-year-old winner held off the charge of Fuwayrit by a neck, marking the start of his career in Qatar with a black-type success.
Abdulla Rashid al-Kubaisi, QREC Racing Manager, presented the trophies to the winners of the race.
The QA Gr3 Thoroughbred Guineas saw a thrilling finish with three horses, all in the colours of Wathnan Racing, battling in the closing stages of the 1400m race and it was Garfield Shadow who stole a march to win for trainer Hamad al-Jehani. In the hands of Doyle, the three-year-old bay colt prevailed by 1¾ lengths from Soldier’s Gold, who was two lengths ahead in front of Native America.
Al-Khbaib, carrying the colours of Al Shaqab Racing, made his Qatari debut a success by winning the Purebred Arabian Guineas. Trained by Jean de Mieulle, the four-year-old colt was ridden by Faleh Bughanaim, who waited until the final 200m to unleash his mount’s turn of foot and he sauntered clear to win the 1400m race by 1¾ lengths. Saad Ali al-Kubaisi, Deputy Director of the QREC Registration & Studbook Dept crowned the winners of the race.
On seasonal debut, Dawi continued his impressive performance with a victory, winning the Sheraouh Island Cup for owner HE Sheikha Iman bint Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani. Under a front-running ride from Tomas Lukasek, the seven-year-old, trained by Rudy Nerbonne, stretched clear in the final 200m of the 2100m contest for Purebred Arabians to win by 2¼ lengths.
In the card opener, Abdulatif bin Hussain Z aL-Emadi’s Pazeer won the 2100m
Thoroughbred Handicap (85 & above) for four-year-old contest. Jockey Lukas Delozier guided the Khalifa Hamed Nasser al-Sawai-trained 10-year-old bay gelding to beat Sharq Stud’s El Chaco by a quarter of a length to emerge as winner.

RESULTS 6th Al Rayyan Race Meeting – Guineas & Barzan Cup (Div 1)
Winners (Horse, Trainer, Jockey)

Barzan Cup - Thoroughbreds (Class 1 QA Gr3)
Dark Trooper, Alban Elie De Mieulle, James Doyle
Thoroughbred Guineas (3yo only) (Class 1 QA Gr3)
Garfield Shadow, Hamad al-Jehani, James Doyle
Purebred Arabian Guineas (4yo only) (Class 2)
Al Khbaib, Jean de Mieulle, Faleh Bughanaim
Sheraouh Island Cup - Purebred Arabian (Class 2)
Dawi, Rudy Andre Nerbonne, Tomas Lukasek
Thoroughbred Handicap 85 and above (Class 2)
Pazeer, Khalifa Hamed Nasser al-Sawai, Lukas Delozier