Luwsail Establishes Himself as One of the Best Arabian Racehorses in the World – Eyes Set on the Qatar Arabian World Cup
On Sunday at ParisLongchamp, Luwsail (Al Mourtajez) delivered a dominant performance to win The President Of The UAE Cup – Coupe d’Europe des Chevaux Arabes (Group 1 PA) with ease, taking full advantage of the strong pace set by his stablemate Al Zwair (TM Fred Texas). With a field of exceptional quality, this victory confirms Luwsail’s place among the world’s top Purebred Arabians.
Everything has improved for the son of Al Mourtajez since he started to settle better: this change in behavior has transformed him! This victory also marks a major milestone for Jean de Mieulle, a young French trainer based in Qatar, and for Faleh Bughenaim, the Qatari jockey who received part of his training in France.
Luwsail is now one of the leading contenders for the Qatar Arabian World Cup, scheduled for Sunday, October 5, at ParisLongchamp.
Official Result
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UAE CUP – COUPE D’EUROPE DES CHEVAUX ARABES (Group 1 PA)
1st LUWSAIL (F. Bughenaim)
2nd Muraad (M. Guyon)
3rd RB Kingmaker (C. Demuro)
Time: 2’09’’39. Margins: 3/4 – 3/4 – 2.
Quotes
Jean de Mieulle – Trainer of Luwsail (1st) – Qatar
“The horse blew me away. He had already beaten a solid field, but last time it was at home. To do it after a long trip and against such quality horses is incredible. He really did something special. Just like in Doha, he was passed before coming back to win. He's maturing and relaxing in his races… which is why he's improving.
Huge thanks to Olivier d’Andigné, who always does the work, and to Pierre-Charles Boudot as well. The whole team worked brilliantly in the mornings to teach him how to relax. It’s fantastic! This win will likely change our plans. Initially, we were thinking of going to Goodwood, then Istanbul. Now, it’s likely he’ll still go to Goodwood… but we’re also seriously considering the Qatar Arabian World Cup. We’ll discuss it. As a trainer, it’s an incredible feeling to win this race. I had won it before as an assistant to my uncle, Alban de Mieulle. But this time, it’s completely different.”
Faleh Bughenaim – Jockey of Luwsail (1st) – Qatar
“We know him much better now. He was well-prepared last time and came off a win in one of the major races of the Qatari calendar. We believed he had the ability to win a big one someday — and today was the day! He beat a field of very tough horses. Honestly, Al Ghadeer is probably the only one who still seems very hard to beat. Maybe we’ll end up second to him one day. Today, I beat French jockeys who have taught me so much. They were instrumental in my development. I always believed I could become a good jockey.
There are young riders in training in Qatar who dream of becoming jockeys. They are apprentices working very hard, training in places like Newmarket or South Africa. Hopefully, one of them will become a great rider.”
Damien de Watrigant – Trainer of Muraad (2nd) – France
“It was only his second run after 300 days off. He showed up, but was caught in between. They pushed back a little on him, and he hesitated for a moment.
It was his first try at this level and we can’t really fault him. Maxime thinks he might be better over a slightly shorter trip. At this level, 2,000m is maybe just a bit too long for him. There were some very good horses here today and he was the least experienced in the field. We’ll see him again.”
Élisabeth Bernard – Trainer of RB Kingmaker (3rd) – France
“Of course, it’s always a bit disappointing not to win. But looking at the race objectively, the horse was coming back from a break and only resumed training recently.
He’s still lacking a bit of finishing speed. He comes to win but levels off in the final strides. Another factor: during his second-place finish in the World Cup, the ground was soft — which he really likes. As for what’s next, he’ll likely head to the Group 3 at La Teste (La Coupe du Sud-Ouest des Pur-Sang Arabes), which he won last year. And maybe we’ll look at Deauville too!”