Jockey Marvin Suerland rides Pearl Bridge (background) to victory in the Wathnan Cup ahead of Upholland, ridden by JP Guillambert, at QREC yesterday.
Zuhair Mohsen’s charge halted a nine-race winless run, stretching back to January last year, with jockey Marvin Suerland at the helm.
Pearl Bridge, while leading, always had Clean Bowled, favourite Upholland and Star Deal not too far behind. On the home stretch, as the rest fell back, Jassim Ghazali’s Upholland, who won his last outing in similar conditions in December, decided to step up and give Pearl Bridge a scare. In the end, however, it was just that, a scare, though one that was frighteningly close.
Khor Al Adaid Cup winner Novis Adventus was third. Al Murqab Stud’s two-time Wathnan Cup winner Peter Anders was fifth.
“Everyone had thought that Peter Anders will be the one to watch out for. But we all are pleasantly surprised with Pearl Bridge. He has never run a race like this, never led from the start right till the end. And beating the other favourites like Upholland, it was great,” trainer Mohsen told Gulf Times yesterday. The win was Mohsen’s third on the day, the other two being with Al Murqab Stud’s Maadiya and Hussain Ali Bukanan’s Emaad. “It is a hat-trick, like Cristiano Ronaldo,” he laughed.
Talking about the HH The Emir’s Sword Race Meeting coming up next week, Mohsen said he was looking forward to see Peter Anders in action next week.
Al Jasra Stud’s Lightning Launch survived a determined raid by Incredibile to win first of the two runs in the Class 1 Thoroughbred Handicap race for horses rated 70-90.
Ibrahim al-Malki-trained Bader, ridden by Evert Pheiffer in the colours of Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, took the lead early on while Kalahari Kingdom and Lightning Launch followed. On to the home straight, Hassan al-Matwi’s Incredibile, coming straight off a sprint victory last week, was still no where close to the front, having run at the back of the field for majority of the mile-long race.
As Hilal Kobeissi-schooled Lightning Launch was pushed into the lead by jockey Pier Convertino 300m fro the post, Incredibile put on display his incredible turn of foot, overhauling the entire field with Lightning Launch’s lead evaporating quickly. However, in hindsight, jockey Andrew Elliot held on to his ride a tad bit longer than what was needed, as Lightning Launch just about held on for a victory.
Queen Anne finished third ahead of Mishal bin Ali al-Attiyah’s two-time winner Mutadhamen.
In the second run of the event, Emaad, running for Mohsen, picked up a pillar to post victory while Man Amongst Men was second ahead of Pure Amber.
On her first outing in a 1200m sprint, Umm Qarn’s Zahrah impressed with a win in the Local Thoroughbred Graduation Plate.
Jean Baptiste Hamel had kept his ride in the middle of the pack on the outside as MR al-Kuwari-trained Akram took the lead early on. Akram picked up pace under Yanis Aouabed coming on to the final stretch, and so did Zahrah. A tight finish saw the latter edging Akram out at the post by tiniest of margins for her third win. The pace of the top two left Ibrahim al-Malki-trained Daleem five lengths behind in third spot.
In a thrilling Graduation Plate event for local Arabians, Abduljabar Ali-trained Heytham raced to his third career victory with Ali al-Showeikh at the helm.
On the home straight, Injaaz Stud’s Istibdad and Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Thani al-Thani’s Jazeerat Al Arab jostled for the lead, while al-Showeikh found his way blocked on the inside. His patience paid off a furlong from the post, and he had Heytham make good use of a tiny gap, eventually finishing a length ahead of Istibdad, while Jazeerat Al Arab was third.
In the Local Purebred Arabian Handicap event for horses rated 80 and below, jockey Evert Pheiffer let Sheikh Faisal’s Meqdam Al Zaidy get on with it on the home straight at the right time to emerge victorious for the second straight week. Pheiffer had ridden the five-year-old last week to a victory in a Maiden Plate event last week.
Yesterday, Meqdam tracked early leader Dheram Al Naif before moving ahead on the inside with a furlong to go. Amer progeny Al Mundher edged out Dheram Al Naif for the second spot.
Earlier in the day, Injaaz Stud’s Marj Eyoun, trained by Mohamed Jassim Ghazali, and Al Murqab Stud’s Maadiya, schooled by Mohsen, shed their maiden status in two runs of the Pure Arabians Maiden Plate race for fillies and mares. In the two runs of the Maiden Plate for Thoroughbreds, Ghazali Sr’s colt from Umm Ethnaitan Stud, Sea Here, and M. al-Ramzani’s mare emerged winners for their first wins.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Marj Eyoun (Alberto Sanna), 2. Ostorah Dukhan (Yanis Aouabed), 3. Sharsaa Al Naif (Marvin Suerland), 4. Abeah (Cedric Segeon). Won by: 5, 1 ½, Nk. Time: 1:19.48. Owner: Injaaz Stud. Trainer: Mohamed Jassim Ghazali.
Race 2: 1. Maadiya (Adrie de Vries), 2. Dijlah (JP Guillambert), 3. Al Jalila (Gerald Avranche), 4. Wejdan (Marco Monteriso). Won by: 3, 3, ½. Time: 1:21.16. Owner: Al Murqab Stud. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen
Race 3: 1. Sea Here (JP Guillambert), 2. Farendole (Adrie de Vries), 3. Raj To Riches (Ali al-Showeikh), 4. Charme Secret (Xavier Ziani). Won by: 2, 2, 1 ¾. Time: 1:24.77. Owner: Umm Ethnaitain Stud. Trainer: Jassim Ghazali.
Race 4: 1. Cueca (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. Topsy Turvy (Evert Pheiffer), 3. Wahshi (Xavier Ziani), 4. Shamaliyah (Marvin Suerland). Won by: 8, 1, Shd. Time: 1:24.77. Owner: Mohamed Khalifa al-Sowaidi. Trainer: M al-Ramzani.
Race 5: 1. Meqdam Al Zaidy (Evert Pheiffer), 2. Al Mundher (Marco Monteriso), 3. Dheram Al Naif (Alberto Sanna), 4. Mowhoubat Al Zaidy (Pier Convertino). Won by: 1 ¼, ¾, Nk. Time: 1:33.75. Owner: Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. Trainer: Ibrahim al-Malki.
Race 6: 1. Heytham (Ali al-Showeikh), 2. Istibdad (Alberto Sanna), 3. Jazeerat Al Arab (JP Guillambert), 4. Dheeb Al Shajaa (Jaures Marcialis). Won by: 1, Nk, 1 ½. Time: 1:18.93. Owner: Bader YA al-Baloshi. Trainer: Abduljabar Ali.
Race 7: 1. Zahrah (Jean Baptiste Hamel), 2. Akram (Yanis Aouabed), 3. Daleem (Darren Williams), 4. Gaza VI (Stephan Ladjadj). Won by: Hd, 5, ½. Time: 1:13.01. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle.
Race 8: 1. Lightning Launch (Pier Convertino), 2. Incredibile (Andrew Elliot), 3. Queen Anne (Marco Monteriso), 4. Mutadhamen (JP Guillambert). Won by: Shd, 1.5, Hd. Time: 1:41.25. Owner: Al Jasra Stud. Trainer: Hilal Kobeissi.
Race 9: 1. Emaad (Marvin Suerland), 2. Man Amongst Men (Cedric Segeon), 3. Pure Amber (Marco Monteriso), 4. Ghalaa (Almotasem al-Balushi). Won by: 2 ½, 6, ¾. Time: 1:40.07. Owner: Hussain Ali Bukanan. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen.
Race 10: 1. Pearl Bridge (Marvin Suerland), 2. Upholland (JP Guillambert), 3. Novis Adventus (Gerald Avranche), 4. Lesha (Pier Convertino). Won by: Shd, 3.5, 2.5. Time: 1:59.99. Owner: Al Murqab Stud. Trainer: Zuhair Mohsen.
