Qatar Prix du Jockey Club 2026 - L’entraîneur Mikel Delzangles aura deux partants : Alam et Dolmalan
Trainer Mikel Delzangles will have two runners:
Alam and Dolmalan
On Wednesday, France Galop continued its series of press conferences dedicated to the 2026 edition of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Group 1, the highest international level). This great classic race of world Flat racing, first run in 1833, will take place on Sunday, 31 May 2026, at Chantilly Racecourse.
Run over 2,100 metres, this prestigious event is reserved for three-year-old colts and fillies. It offers €1.5 million in prize money.
This second media session notably shone a spotlight on the connections of the French colts Dolmalan, owned by the Aga Khan Studs, and Alam, representing Al Shaqab Racing, with:
- Their trainer, Mikel Delzangles (Chantilly training center – Oise)
- Nemone Routh, Racing Manager France of the Aga Khan Studs, owner and breeder of Dolmalan.
Still unbeaten, Dolmalan comes into the race off the back of a victory in one of the preparatory races for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club: the Prix de Suresnes (Listed, 2,000 metres), run in April at Chantilly.
As for Alam, he has just recorded the first win of his career in the Prix Greffulhe (Group 3, 2,100 metres), at the beginning of May at Saint-Cloud.
Mikel Delzangles seeking a first Qatar Prix du Jockey Club title
Mikel Delzangles, born in 1971 in Biarritz, grew up in a world deeply connected to horse racing. His mother, an amateur rider, passed on her passion for horses to him at an early age, while his godmother, the celebrated Marquise de Moratalla, encouraged him to train in England with trainer Jim Fitzgerald. On returning to France, he spent ten years as assistant to Alain de Royer Dupré [the Aga Khan Studs’ number one trainer in France from the early 1980s to the early 2020s], before setting up on his own in Chantilly in 2000. Since then, he has established himself among the leading French trainers, winning twelve Group 1 races with horses of international renown. Among his greatest successes are the 2,000 Guineas (England) with Makfi, the Melbourne Cup (Australia) with Dunaden, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (USA) and the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (France) with Flotilla, then that same French classic again in 2022 with Mangoustine, racing in the colours of former international basketball player Tony Parker.
On Alam
Mikel Delzangles:
“Alam is a big horse who was fairly backward. That is why he made his debut quite late in his two-year-old season. He ran on the all-weather [fibresand track], showing himself to be a little immature. For his second race, he was already much better. He produced a fine turn of foot, and it was at that point that we thought he could become interesting, perhaps for the good races. He had a fairly quiet time at the start of the winter because it is difficult to begin in December and continue through to June. He made his seasonal reappearance at Saint-Cloud in April. I was a little disappointed to be beaten, but the horse had come out of the race very well. He had progressed nicely. That is why we then ran him in the Prix Greffulhe.
Since his last run, I think he has progressed a little further. He is becoming very straightforward. In his first two races, we were careful not to ride him too aggressively because he could confuse speed with rushing. But now, if the pace [race rhythm] is not very even, he can be ridden close to the lead or, conversely, be held up if they go fast. Good ground will suit him.
He will be ridden, as usual, by Antoine Hamelin, with whom I have been working since he returned from Hong Kong. He has already won the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club [in 2012 with Saônois], which is an advantage!”
On Dolmalan
Mikel Delzangles:
“Dolmalan comes into the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club unbeaten. He made his debut quite late at two, and I was a little surprised that he won, because he was still immature. He won again on his seasonal reappearance in early April. We were expecting that, because the horse had been working well and he confirmed his good morning gallops. He then ran in the Prix de Suresnes, a Listed race which came a little over three weeks later. It is a good prep race for the Jockey Club. He had to overcome a race with no pace, coming from behind. He was able to quicken well to win. He is an easy horse to train, one who is progressing, is very straightforward, and should find the 2,100-metre distance ideal. Since his last run, he has continued to progress and strengthen. He will be ridden by Clément Lecœuvre.”
Nemone Routh:
“Dolmalan is by Zarak, a reliable stallion who produces stakes horses [Group and Listed performers, the highest level of competition] with all types of mares. His dam, Dolianova, Listed-placed, comes from the close family of Dalakhani and Daylami. It is one of our great bloodlines, so it is no surprise that Dolmalan shows so much class. He is quite strongly stamped by his sire, more so than by his dam. He has shown a real change of gear, and in his latest victory, from the 400 to the final 200 metres, he clocked 10.30 seconds. That is faster than Daryz [the Aga Khan Studs champion, winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2025]… That says it all!”
