Samlla lands Qatar Derby for 4YO Purebred Arabians

Chantilly: The Gr 1 Qatar Derby for four-year-old Purebred Arabians sponsored by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) for the seventh year in a row was run at Chantilly, yesterday.

Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiya, Vice Chairman of QREC and Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation presented the trophies to the winners. 

The 2,000m contest is the mid-season highlight of the French Purebred Arabian racing programme and it features the top 4-year-old Purebred Arabians of their generation. 

Last year’s edition was won by one of the greatest 4-year-olds in the world, the  H E Sheikha Reem bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned Hoggar De L’ardus, who went on to re-prove his top class at the highest level when he landed the Qatar Arabian World Cup less than four months later. 

However, Samlla was the new star, winning the 2022 title of the Gr 1 Qatar Derby for 4YO Purebred Arabians yesterday. 

He landed the prestigious classic title again in the colours of Sheikha Reem, keeping the title for the second year in a row. In doing so, Samlla also added his third Gr 1 victory to his account.

Trained by François Rohaut and ridden by Maxime Guyon, Samilla was able to slipstream his stablemate Yunus (Assy) through the opening stages of the 2,000m contest. 

Once in the straight, Samilla slipped through to lead against the rail and despite being heavily pressed by Izadi Star (Azadi) inside the closing stages, he held on tenaciously to score by a head at the line. 

The Helal Alalawi-owned and Elizabeth Bernard-trained Izadi Star finished second under Cristian Demuro 10th length clear of the third placed, the Sinan Khalaf Sinan Al Harti-owned and Thomas Demeaulte-trained Izmir De Carrere (Nieshan), who was ridden by Ioritz Mendizabal.

Bred by Al Shahania Stud, Samilla is by their multiple Gr 1 winner Assy (Amer).