London: Owner and breeder H H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s horse Al Atique beat a field of 12 rivals to win the United Kingdom’s most valuable race for pure bred Arabians — the £150,000 Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Harwood International Stakes — at Doncaster on Saturday.
Ridden by Sam Walker, the five-year-old horse may now head for the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp on October 5, according to his trainer Julian Smart.
“It transpired that he had been sick when he ran in the race last year. He finished seventh, beaten eight lengths by some very good horses”, Smart said. “A year on, more mature and in better health I thought he deserved his chance.”
Al Atique was dominant from the early stages under the 14-time champion Arabian jockey and strongly finished two and a quarter lengths in front of the Royal Cavalry of Oman’s Al Mouhannad. Manark — owned by H H Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum — finished a further three-and-a-quarter length back in third.
The event, which formed part of the St Leger Festival drew a crowd of more than 30,000 and was attended by Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) Chairman H E Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani, who was accompanied by QREC General Manager Sami Al Boenain and QREC Deputy General Manager and Racing Manager Tariq Al Siddiqi. Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s next visit to the Great Britain is for the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club UK Arabian Derby on Thursday.
THE PENINSULA
