The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presenting a trophy to trainer Julian Smart after Mon’nia won the prestigious Amir Sword at Al Rayyan Park yesterday.
Mon’nia yesterday ended the hat-trick bid of title favourite Ebraz to win the prestigious Amir Sword in spectacular fashion at Al Rayyan Park.
The Julian Smart-trained five-year-old mare (Amer x Margouia) won the $1m race ahead of Ebraz following a thrilling run in the 2400 marathon turf run.
Owned by H E Sheikha Yasmeen Bint Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Mon’nia looked hard to catch after the final bend as jockey Tomas Lukasek steered the Smart-trained entry to secure the top prize of $570,000.
Just three weeks ago, the Lukasek-Mon’nia combination had warmed up for the Amir Sword race by winning the Gr3 H E Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy.
Ebraz, who was seeking a hat-trick of Amir Sword wins yesterday, ended 1.25 meters behind Mon’nia in a field of 14 entries.
Lady Prince, ridden by Julien Auge, was second for most part of the last stretch but got nudged to third spot by a galloping Ebraz - also trained by Smart - in the last 100 meters.
Smart, who saw Ebraz clinch the Triple Crown with wins at Goodwood and Longchamp in 2019 before clinching last year’s Amir Sword, yesterday celebrated his sixth successive Amir Sword win in Qatar.
“Mon’nia is a very good filly. Mon’nia is a very good horse on as a fast ground maybe not a softer round. We knew before the race that she was in good form. She had horses like Ebraz, Princess and Tayf to compete against and it was not going to be easy but she was in very good form,” Smart said after the race.
“I am very happy about it. I have been in Qatar for 11 seasons and I have won the Amir Sword six times. I have very good horses for sure, thank you very much,” he said with a smile.
“I just got very, very good horses. I am not the kind of trainer who gets his horses ready in October and November or December. This is the biggest race in Qatar and we plan and get ready for this day,” he added. “After the first two days, everyone said ‘where are you?’ ... ‘no winners yet?’. I just said hang on and wait until Saturday,” Smart said.
Earlier, Al Wasmiyah Farm’s Noor Al Hawa won the Amir Trophy with Alberto Sanna in the saddle. The 8-year-old showed stunning speed after the final bend, racing to victory with impressive speed. Trained by Georges Mikhalides, Noor Al Hawa clocked a time of 2:30.65 as Sanna won the top prize of $570,000 in the invitation only race.
Berkshire Rocco, ridden by Jason Watson, and Hellenistique with Ronan Thomas in the saddle, secured the second and third spots respectively. Watson won $220,000 while Thomas got richer by $110,000.
Before saddling in for the feature race of the day, jockey Lukasek yesterday stunned a strong field with Abdullah Bin Fahad Al Attiyah’s Munir Du Soleil to win the Amir Silver Sword.
With an overall prize of $250,000 on offer, Munir Du Soleil clocked a time of 2:00.77 to win the race with 15 entries. Lukasek won $142,500. The Mohammed Hussain Afroz-trained Hidalgo Du Croate, ridden by Jason Watson, finished second worth $55,000. First Classs, with Sanna in the saddle, sealed the third place.
In the fifth race of the day - the Amir Shalfa - jockey Auge steered King Pacha - trained by Zuhair Mohsen - to a convincing win in the 2000m marathon. The 4-year-old colt - owned by Khalifa Bin Sheail KH J Al Kuwari - looked unbeatable as Auge won the top prize of $142,500. King Pacha clocked a time of 1:59.69. Pazeer (trained by Bader Al Balushi and ridden by Soufiane Saadi) and The Blue Eye (Mohammed Hussain Afroz and Maxime Guyon) completed the top three.
Also yesterday, Devious Company - ridden by Guyon - won the Al Biddah Mile (QA Gr 2) trophy. Owned by Khalifa bin Sheail Al Kuwari, Devious Company edged past Pom Malpic to win the 1600m race held in daylight at Al Rayyan Park. Guyon won $142,500 after Devious Company sealed the deal in a time of 1:34.31.
Thunderstone, ridden by Sanna, finished in third place worth $527,500. Lukasek, astride Pom Malpic, won $55,000.
Taxiwala, ridden by Sanna, won a hard-fought battle with Zyzzyva in the Dukhan Sprint (QA Gr 3 sponsored by Breeders’ Cup). Taxiwala finished half a meter ahead of Zyzzyva, ridden by Ryan Curatolo. The 4-year-old gelding - trained by Osama Al-Dafea - clocked a time of 1:09.50 as Sanna won $142,500. Curatolo won $55,000 while Auge, who guided X Force to third place, got richer by $27,500.
Earlier in the day, H E Sheikha Reem bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Methgal won Qatar International Cup (Gr1 PA sponsored by Daam) giving popular trainer Smart and jockey Guyon a valuable win on the last day of the Amir Sword festival. Methgal clocked a time of 1:42.16 and finished a small margin ahead of Al Naama ridden by Saadi. Arguya, with Auge in the saddle, finished third.
The day’s proceedings started with Al Jeryan Stud’s homebred Al Lusail winning the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup. Trainer Hadi Al Ramzani and jockey Sanna teamed up for victory in the race worth $142,500. Equinoxe (Ronan Thomas) and Black Pearl (jockey Saadi) finished second and third respectively in the 2000m marathon.
