QATAR ARABIAN TROPHY DES JUMENTS - Fakhira continues her Group 1 PA winning streak
Reserved for Purebred Arabians, the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Juments (4-year-old fillies) went to Fakhira, trained by Thomas Fourcy. The trainer, based at Les Mathes (Charente-Maritime), thus recorded his second Group 1 PA victory in the space of 24 hours, following the success of the 3-year-old Msaieed in the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains at Saint-Cloud on Friday.
On Saturday at ParisLongchamp, Fakhira proved much too strong for her rivals as she claimed her third consecutive Group 1 PA victory. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, she finished one and a quarter lengths ahead of Kiaora du Soleil, trained in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) by François Rohaut. Also trained by Thomas Fourcy, Amjaad completed the podium, three-quarters of a length further back.
Bred by Khalifa Bin Sheail Al Kuwari, whose colours she also carries, Fakhira had finished an excellent third against the males in the Qatar Derby des Pur-Sang Arabes de 4ans (Gr1 PA) at Chantilly on 14 June. She then followed up with two Group 1 PA victories at La Teste, the latest coming very easily in the Liwa International Stakes - Wathba Stallions on 10 August.
Technical result
QATAR ARABIAN TROPHY DES JUMENTS
1st FAKHIRA (C. Soumillon)
2nd KIAORA DU SOLEIL (I. Mendizabal)
3rd AMJAAD (P.-C. Boudot)
Time: 2’14’’19. Margins: 1¼ – ¾ – HEAD.
Connections’ reactions
Thomas Fourcy, trainer of Fakhira (1st) and Amjaad (3rd), Les Mathes (Charente-Maritime)
“Fakhira is the best and she won. There is no shame in the result because it took a very good mare to get past Kiaora du Soleil, who is very tough when she is in front. So I’m happy. When Christophe [Soumillon] came back, he told me that she was starting to really understand her job. She had plenty of energy and, when he asked her to quicken, it took her a little while to get going. She is not at her peak yet. As for what comes next, we will discuss it with her connections. Her owner is Qatari and there are some very good races over there. We may be tempted to go. We will discuss it calmly because she also has a good season ahead of her as a 5-year-old. Moving from races restricted to females to taking on the males can sometimes be a little tough. So we are going to enjoy this and then we will see.
“As for Amjaad, she has made a very good comeback. She did not have the easiest of trips. She found herself three wide before getting some cover. She needed a bit of room 150 metres from the line, then picked up again in the closing stages and came back to fight. I’m pleased with her comeback. She will now head to Qatar for the big races and we will be hearing more about her.”
François Rohaut, trainer of Kiaora du Soleil (2nd) and Shagaf (4th), Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
“What Kiaora du Soleil has done is very good. She is a tough mare who does not really have a turn of foot. As she can be slow away, we decided to go straight to the front so that we would not encounter any trouble in the first 400 metres. Everything went like a dream. She opened up a gap, as she knows how to do, but the other filly is better. We could run the race a hundred times and the result would be the same a hundred times. So there are no regrets. She ran very well and I believe she ends her racing career today with a very good second place in a Group 1 PA, which is very important. With the pedigree she has, it is a dream to see her retire to stud. It is important for her owners, who are also her breeders. They have her dam, but she is getting older and they did not have a daughter out of her. They now have one who is Group 1 PA-placed and a Group 2 PA winner. It’s fantastic.
“Shagaf also produced the best performance of her career. She finished fourth, just missing out on Group 1 PA black type. It’s magnificent. Both fillies ran very well and will now retire to stud. They both have exceptional pedigrees, so it is very important to retain fillies like them for breeding.”