Qatar Arabian World Cup : Al Ghadeer puts his title on the line
The draw in tabulated form and quotes from the trainers
The Purebred Arabian thoroughbred breed is the oldest of them all! The horses are smaller and more versatile than their English thoroughbred counterparts (the latter are due to take the stage in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on the same card): as they are variously used for endurance racing (over distances ranging up to 120 kilometers), in the show ring (effectively an equine beauty contest), for leisure purposes... and obviously for racing.
Close to 1,500 Purebred Arabian horses are born in France each year. The breed originated in the South-West of the country, and they have been raced almost continuously since the 19th century. France stages around 100 races for the breed annually which predominantly take place in the South-West heartlands.
PA racing takes place all over the world. In some countries, it’s a tradition that dates back over a century (as in the case of France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Russian Federation, Poland, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Turkey and so forth). Relative to other countries the PA Racing Calendar was instigated just a few decades ago (namely in Great Britain, the US, the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Italy, etc.).
And the very best PA horses from all these countries will go head-to-head in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at ParisLongchamp on Sunday 6 October.
Al Ghadeer, the defending champion, will once again be the main attraction. A son of the outstanding Al Mourtajez, the winner of this race in 2015 and 2016, who raced in the colours of the Qatari concern Al Shaqab Racing – who also own Al Ghadeer. The latter is trained at Pau by François Rohaut, with the handler also set to saddle two other runners: Ch’Ezza and Djafar.
What connections are saying:
François Rohaut (the trainer of Al Ghadeer, Ch’Ezza and Djafar) – the Pau training centre (Pyrenées-Atlantiques)
« Al Ghadeer has had a smooth preparation. He seems to be in great shape and happy on top of it: being on very good terms with himself at present. So all the lights are flashing green in his case.
Ch’ezza made an excellent reappearance the other day. We just him kept ticking over for as long as we could. His last race doubled up as his last gallop. He should again run up to his best form. He’s a very good horse. He certainly impresses physically. He will certainly find his place at stud at some point in the future.
The owner of Djafar’s is delighted to have a runner in the race. He made a decent reappearance in Germany, and he really needed the race on that occasion. Djafar finished third in the Arabian World Cup two years ago, and he should run up to his best form again. An endearing type, he’s a horse who invariably gives of his best. If the race pans out for him, Djafar will run very well.»
Thomas Fourcy (the trainer of Moshrif, Nabucco Al Maury, Nour Al Maury and Al Doha) – Royan La Palmyre (Charente Maritime)
« Moshrif ran a bit below par last time. There was no pace and that doesn’t suit him. That race wasn’t an objective in itself but we were slightly disappointed. The horse appears to be in good shape in the morning. However, Sunday will be a proper test. I hope it doesn’t rain too much between now and then as he’s more effective on sounder surfaces.
Nabucco Al Maury will be the only 4-year-old in the race and this grade might prove to be a bit tough for him. On the other hand, he’s in great shape. He finished third to Ch’Ezza, who has a very decent chance on Sunday. So we will be aiming for a place with him.
Nour Al Maury proved impressive at Deauville! She has quality and is a straightforward type. She has tended to get very tense in the past. However, Christophe Soumillon was able to do exactly what he wanted with her in last race: and he even kicked for home very early on the mare during that race. Nour Al Maury has shown a completely different side to her character. She’s positively blooming physically at the moment. She has stepped up a level as a 5-y-old. I even informed Mme Koch at the beginning of the year that I was a little sceptical about her physical condition. As she was very thick-set and had difficulty in getting into a rhythm [at the time], which wasn’t the case in her 3-y-old and 4-y-old days. Eventually, everything turned out to be fine with her! So will she again prove competitive again against the ‘boys’ on Sunday? We will just have to wait and see! »
Al Doha is simply magnificent. The mare is at the top of her game although Al Ghadeer will again be on the premises on Sunday… Although I still hope she that can win. She has strengthened up and filled out as a 5-year-old.»
Élisabeth Bernard – the trainer of RB Kingmaker - La Teste-de-Buch (Gironde)
«You don’t head into these races without being ambitious. I was disappointed that RB Kingmaker pulled a lot at Deauville, but we couldn’t do anything about that. Soko went to the front but the pace he set was hardly taxing. RB Kingmaker is used to tackling races in the United Arab Emirates where there is a lot of pace. Despite everything, he stll ran on strongly at the finish. Al Ghadeer will have a pacemaker on Sunday on Sunday. Obviously, that will benefit my horse. So I think that he will run a better race than he did at Deauville. The pace will be stiffer during the race, and especially so in the early part of the race.»
