Result and quotes of the winners of the Al Rayyan Cup and the Doha Cup
AL RAYYAN CUP
The Purebred Arabian Laffan remains undefeated
Having won his first two outings, the 3-year-old Purebred Arabian Laffan maintained his unbeaten record on Tuesday at the Deauville-La Touques racecourse by capturing the Al Rayyan Cup, a Gr1 PA – the highest level of racing exclusively for Purebred Arabian horses. Ridden by Maxime Guyon, Laffan displayed great discipline and led from start to finish. He held off a late challenge from Romeo AT, who showed some immaturity during the race and required careful handling by Guillaume Guedj-Gay. The filly Subahiyah finished a very respectable third.
Laffan runs in the silks of Al Wasmiyah Racing, who also bred him. The Qatari stable was represented in Deauville on Tuesday by Ali Al Attiyah. The colt is trained in Pau by François Rohaut, a leading expert in the breed, who currently trains the world’s best Purebred Arabian, Al Ghadeer.
Official result
AL RAYYAN CUP (PRIX KESBEROY)
1st LAFFAN (M. Guyon)
2nd ROMEO AT (G. Guedj-Gay)
3rd SUBAHIYAH (C. Soumillon)
Margins: Short head – ½ length – 2 lengths
Quotes from the connections
François Rohaut (trainer of Laffan, 1st, and Subahiyah, 3rd) – Pau (64)
"We were expecting a tactical race. I told Maxime Guyon that if no one wanted to lead, he could take the initiative. Even though he had to steady him in the final turn when the filly came up alongside, he’s a colt with more experience than the others. He’s a good horse—very straightforward and sound."
Ali Al Attiyah (owner and breeder of Laffan, 1st)
"We’re very pleased because we bred the colt ourselves. We bought his dam from Shadwell. It’s all the more satisfying as this race is sponsored by Qatar."
Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte (trainer of Romeo AT, 2nd) – Mont-de-Marsan (40)
"He lacks a bit of maturity. He was a bit keen during the race, but it didn’t stop him from finishing strongly. We may have lost a battle, but not the war! He’ll be ideal for the Group 1 at Saint-Cloud in early October."
DOHA CUP
RB Kingmaker, the tireless globetrotter
Already a dual Group 1 PA winner, in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, RB Kingmaker once again demonstrated his class to the Deauville crowd with a decisive victory in the Doha Cup on Tuesday at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse. To avoid a tactical race, the horse’s trainer, Elisabeth Bernard, and his owner, Helal Al Alawi, had taken care to enter a pacemaker, the talented Joe Star, who executed his role to perfection. RB Kingmaker was able to travel comfortably before accelerating in the home straight. Luwsail, trained by Jean de Mieulle for Al Shaqab Racing, was never able to mount a serious challenge and finished second, ahead of Joe Star, who bravely held on for third place.
Official result
DOHA CUP (PRIX MANGANATE)
1st – RB KINGMAKER (C. Demuro)
2nd – LUWSAIL (F. Bughenaim)
3rd – JOE STAR (M. Forest)
Margins: 4 – 3 ½ – 2 ½ lengths
Post-race quotes
Elisabeth Bernard (trainer of RB Kingmaker, 1st, and Joe Star, 3rd) – La Teste (33)
"For the past three months, I was very confident about this race, but ten minutes before the start, my confidence dropped because we feared a tactical race with only five runners. In all my years of training, I’ve rarely seen a horse able to string together seasons in both France and the United Arab Emirates with such consistent success and so little rest. He’s incredibly tough! I focus above all on keeping him in good spirits in the mornings."
Tahnon Alalawi (son of the owner of RB Kingmaker, 1st, and Joe Star, 3rd)
"He’s a champion. He had an excellent season in France last year before returning to the UAE. He ran poorly on his seasonal debut in Abu Dhabi but bounced back with a win in Saudi Arabia. We’re very pleased with him. He just keeps getting better every year."
Jean de Mieulle (trainer of Luwsail, 2nd)
"Luwsail ran a very good comeback race. Yes, we were beaten, but he was probably a bit fresh. He’ll come on for this and head next to the Prix Dragon, then the Qatar Arabian World Cup."