Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains : Laffan confirms his Deauville victory
On Friday at Saint-Cloud, the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains (Gr. 1 PA) looked set to be a rematch of the Al Rayyan Cup – Prix Kesberoy (Gr. 1 PA), contested this summer at Deauville. At the start, the two horses who had finished first and second in Deauville shared favouritism… and their duel did indeed take place, in magnificent fashion!
At the break, one of them – Laffan (Af Al Buraq), unbeaten in three starts – chose to take the lead and set a steady pace. The other – Romeo At (Af Al Buraq), a debut winner and runner-up to Laffan – bided his time in mid-division along the rail in fifth position. That may have been the decisive factor in the narrowest of finishes: a nose in favour of Laffan. Romeo At had to weave his way through rivals to get out from the rail and launch his challenge in mid-track… He gained ground with every stride and, after two kilometres, was only centimetres short!
The official result
QATAR ARABIAN TROPHY DES POULAINS
1st LAFFAN (Maxime Guyon)
2nd ROMEO AT (Cristian Demuro)
3rd SAB'AAN AL SHAHANIA (Stéphane Pasquier)
Time: 2’22’’57. Margins: Nose – 3 – 1/2.
Quotes from connections
François Rohaut, trainer of Laffan (1st), Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
“It’s very good – the horses all ran well. They had worked nicely, the jockeys were well briefed, they rode good races, and everything unfolded quite clearly.
Some of them are horses for the future, others are already very mature – like today’s winner. They all ran well, it’s a pleasure. Next year they’ll move on to their 4-year-old campaign, retirement is still a long way off!
Laffan has been the leader of his generation all season, and he still is today. That’s important – they are proper racehorses. He has an interesting stallion pedigree and a magnificent physique. He’s a very handsome horse, sound as well. They are horses for the future, future stallions. So it was important for him to win today.
Laffan will definitely go for the Silver Sword in Qatar. For the others, we’ll see. Perhaps Khaddah could run in the Derby in December, but I feel he’s had quite a busy season. Sometimes you need to let them rest a bit so they can mature – it will do them good.
I’ve had a lot of satisfaction with this family. It’s what we love most: seeing the offspring of horses we trained ourselves. It’s a great joy. And I think of someone up there – it’s a very emotional moment in memory of Sheikh Hamdan, because this was his great bloodline.”
Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, trainer of Romeo At (2nd), Mont-de-Marsan (Landes)
“He’s a good colt. Each time, race circumstances don’t go his way… One day, with a better run and a stronger finish, we’ll beat the winner. I don’t yet know if he’ll travel this winter – that will be up to his owner to decide.”
QREC, the official partner of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The QREC was established in the early 1960s before achieving official recognition in 1975. It is mandated with representing, promoting and advancing equine and equestrian initiatives, from grassroots programmes to the international arena. Focused on equestrian sport and horse welfare, the QREC is dedicated to promoting Qatar as a world class hub for horse racing and a leader in the Pure Arabian breed.
The QREC works in collaboration with local bodies dedicated to achieving excellence in planning, regulation and the development of Qatar’s racing industry to reflect the world's best practices. The QREC has been partner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe since 2008, and from 2022, it also became the title partner of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, one of the most important races for the selection of the breed.
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