Blue-Eyed Boy Twinkles In Emir's Trophy

It may have been HH The Emir's Sword day in Qatar, but Jassim Al Ghazali and Harry Bentley ensured that it was also champions' day, as the reigning champion trainer claimed five of the eight contests on the card and the champion jockey landed a treble. Under the gaze of the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was in attendance for the final two million-dollar races on the card, the pair teamed up in the race that mattered most among the country's Thoroughbred population to win the G1 HH The Emir's Trophy with the distinctive The Blue Eye (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The long-striding 4-year-old, whose right eye is indeed blue, was another to find the golden highway down the centre of the Al Rayyan track to stride home four lengths clear of the Moroccan challenger Billabong (Mor) (Gentlewave {Ire}), who swooped on the line to grab second from Fort Moville (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Al Ghazali, who is again riding high in the Qatar trainers' table with 50 more winners than his nearest pursuer, Julian Smart, said, “This day is a very special day for me–believe me, I've worked hard all year just for this day. At least now I can sleep. This has been a tough season for me, with lots of pressure. And with so many horses now coming from outside Qatar there is even more pressure–it's not easy to win even one race. This year, there are big trainers here from all over the world and group horses, so for me to win five races today, I don't know what to say really except that I am very grateful.”

The closest any of the international contenders came to lifting the prize was Pascal Bary, trainer of the El Alami family's homebred Billabong. France featured in the background of the first three home in the Emir's Trophy, with The Blue Eye–now a five-time winner in Qatar–having been sold from Christophe Ferland's stable for €400,000 at Arqana's 2014 Arc Sale, the same source as Al Ghazali's recent dual winner of the race Dubday (GB), who is also by Dubawi and now standing his first season at stud in Qatar. The third home, Fort Moville, started his racing career with Ellie Lellouche before changing hands at the most recent Arc Sale for €95,000.

For young British jockey Harry Bentley, who punched the air with glee as he passed the post on The Blue Eye, landing the Emir's Trophy is yet another boost for his swiftly rising profile in Qatar. He has been champion jockey in the country for the last two seasons after losing his job in England as a retained jockey with Qatar Racing. Based in Dubai, he flies to Qatar every Wednesday and Thursday to ride for local trainers. Bentley said, “It's fantastic. I've concentrated my winters out here for the last three seasons now so to ride a big winner like this, especially on a horse like The Blue Eye, is just fantastic for me, and also for Jassim, who has really stood by me.” He continued, “The likes of Agent Murphy, who has performed at group level in England, looked like he might be hard to beat but my horse is tough and consistent and stays all day long. He has a similar profile to Dubday and I don't see why he couldn't go to race in England and be competitive in group races. I've been lucky to strike up a nice partnership with the horse.”

Bentley was narrowly denied in the festival finale for purebred Arabians, the G1 HH The Emir's Sword, which saw Julian Smart's stable fill the quinella with Gazwan, who pegged back Bentley's mount, the 2014 winner Assy, within the final furlong. The winner was ridden by Bentley's countryman Richard Mullen, who is now the retained rider for Satish Seemar in Dubai.

International visitors to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani's Al Shahania Stud on Thursday had the opportunity to witness the stable-mates enjoying some time in the sun in adjoining paddocks on the farm, and the dark-grey Gazwan's triumph gave the owner-breeder his 11th victory in the country's most prestigious race.

Al Ghazali took the other Thoroughbred group race of the day, the G2 Al Biddah Mile, with his stable's European-bought runners Opera Baron (GB) (Equiano {GB}) and Spongy (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) battling it out to finish first and second. Opera Baron, a graduate of Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud in Hampshire, provided a memorable day for yet another former British-based jockey, J-P Guillambert.

The race for 3-year-old colts had attracted several runners from Britain, including the Brian Meehan trainee Perkunas (Ire) (Baltic King {GB}), who became the first British-trained winner in Qatar in December, but Richard Hannon's Tony Curtis (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) came home best of the overseas raiders in fourth.