Nasir Al Naif dazzles in Owners Cup victory

Yousef Bentaher  trained Nasir Al Naif asserted his superiority with a brilliant victory in the Owners Cup, which featured yesterday’s races at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. Nasir Al Naif not only retained the Owners Cup but also rewrote the record books, setting a new mark of 1:30.38 seconds bettering the earlier record of Hajaj (1:30.96). Though there were a couple of strong contenders in Raihan and Qassed in the fray,  Nasir Al Naif gave no anxious moments to his supporters as he checked in well clear of his opponents under the able riding of Frenchman David Badel, who timed his challenge to a nicety and sped away from the pack to win by three fourths of a length. “Today’s race was much more tougher than last year as Raihan and Qassed are class horses. Nasir Al Naif was very impressive today and it was great to beat some top class contenders and retain the trophy,” jockey Badel told the Gulf Times. George Mikhalides schooled Pep Sakbe had been a consistent performer and as such, he had a positive chance in the Pure Arabian Handicap, which was open to Qatari jockeys only. The field appeared competitive with Dharr, Syam Des Sables, and Ghazi also in the fray. The talented Qatari rider Naif al-Hajri did a tidy job on Pep Sakbe who is a habitual late finisher. The Injaz Stud challenger picked up the front runners one by one from the penultimate position and engaged Syam Des Sables in a fierce battle for supremacy. With a power packed finish from the Qatari rider, Pep Sakbe kept the spirited effort of Syam Des Sables at bay to win by half a length. Trainer Mikhalides completed a double for the day when Gojeri came good in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 60 to 80, run over 1,500 metres. Jockey Darren Williams rode a peach of a race on the winner. After Majeen (Arnaud Bouleau up) set a scorching pace, Williams brought Gojeri into contention with a smooth run along the rails. When asked for an effory, the Mikhalides trainee stretched away in fine style to win quite comfortably. Brittany came with a brilliant run but could only finish second ahead of Logos Astra. A splendid piece of power-packed finish by Wiliams  ensured a thrilling win for Hilal Kobeisi trained Al Bidah in the local Thoroughbred Stakes.  Sharid (Gerard Avranche astride) came with a spirited challenge along the rails but Williams and Al Bidah were unrelenting to the pressure as they won by head. In the day’s other action, Al Naif Sprint  (Marvin Suerland up), from trainer Mohammed Khalid’s yard, showed remarkable turn of foot and stretched away in fine style to record a fluent victory in the Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate for Fillies. Suerland  had another winner for the day, when partnering  Ramzani schooled Winsome Hearts to a comprehensive victory in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 85 and above.  With Honest Prospector and Partner Shift disputing for the lead, Suerland brought Winsome Hearts into contention with a brilliant stretch run. The Ramzani trainee devoured ground in a trice and swept past the front runners to set a new track record with an excellent time of 1:22.65 seconds for the seven furlong trip. Jassim al-Ghazali’s Granary had held the earlier record of 1:22.73 seconds. Results: 1st race: Al Naif Sprint (Marvin Suerland) 1, Al Mansoor 2, Al Mazrooah 3, Al Mujaazef 4. Won by: ½, 3 ½, ½. Time: Trained by: Mohammed Khalid. Owned by: Mrs Subaiya Awad Ibrahim 2nd race: Pep Sakbe (Naif al-Hajri) 1, Syam Des Sables 2, Guide Al Khal 3, Dharr 4. Won by: ½, 1 ½, 1 ¾. Time: Trained by: George Mikhalides. Owned by: Sheikha Ayisha bint Mishal bin Hamad al-Thani 3rd race: Gojeri (Darren Williams) 1, Brittany 2, Logos Astra 3, Noor’s Goldway 4. Won by:1 ½, 1 ½, 2 ½. Time: 1:29.68.Trained by: George Mikhalides. Owned by: Sheikh Abdullah bin Mishal bin Hamad al-Thani 4th race: Winsome Hearts (Marvin Suerland) 1, Honest Prospector 2, Partner Shift 3, Subtefuge 4. Won by: 2, Nk, ¾. Time: 1:22.66. Trained by: Ramzani. Owned by: Hassan Tahous al-Naimi 5th race: Al Bidah (Darren Williams) 1, Sharid 2, Al Naif Way 3, Al Ghabraa 4. Won by: Hd, 4, 3. Time: 1:24.37.  Trained by: Hilal Kobeisi.  Owned by: Ahmed Salim al-Suwaidi 6th race: Nasir Al Naif (David Badel) 1, Raihan 2, Thumal Al Naif 3, Al Adaid 4. Won by: ¾, Hd, 2. Time: 1:30.38. Trained by: Yousef Bentaher. Owned by: Sheikh Nasser bin Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani