London, 1 August 2019 - The second day of the five-day Qatar Goodwood Festival came with a huge Qatari victory when HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani’s Ebraz won the G1 Qatar International Stakes for purebred Arabians at the Goodwood Racecourse in Sussex on Wednesday.
Qatar’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Yousef bin Ali al Khater presented the trophy to
Al Shahania Stud Director Abdulrahman al Mansour and to the winning trainer and jockey.
Also present on the day were Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC) Chairman Issa bin Mohammed al Mohannadi, President of the Qatar and the Asian Equestrian Federations Hamad bin Abdulrahman al Attiyah, QREC CEO Nasser bin Sherida al Kaabi and QREC board members.
Qatar’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom HE Yousef bin Ali al Khater confirmed that the Qatar Goodwood Festival is developing year after year as a result of the ongoing partnership between the Goodwood Racecourse and QREC, and that this partnership has brought about many positive outcomes.
“When Qatar got the right to sponsor this prestigious Festival in 2015, the question was what Qatar would benefit from such sponsorship,” said HE the Ambassador.
“Five years after the start of this sponsorship, the answer has become quite clear. The benefits which Qatar has gained from sponsoring this event are numerous. The event has been held since 1802, and therefore has its traditions and heritage. The sponsorship has contributed to strengthening the partnership between Qatar and the United Kingdom in various fields, including the sports one represented by horseracing and equestrian, which is one of the multiple sides of the partnership with the British side.
“Through the Embassy, we conducted a study on the impact of Qatar’s sponsorship of the Festival. The results were great, demonstrating a high increase in the turnout of both racegoers, television viewers and in the English people’s awareness of Qatar’s commitment to horseracing and the equestrian sport as well as the success of the events sponsored by Qatar. The study has also shown the appreciation of officials in England for Qatar’s role in sponsoring the Festival, which is one of the best sport sponsorships in the United Kingdom currently,” added Al Khater
Third-time lucky for Ebraz
Ebraz won a thrilling renewal of the prestigious £400,000 G1 Qatar International Stakes for purebred Arabians.
Ridden by Maxime Guyon, the Julian Smart-trained six-year-old finished with a flourish to win the mile event by two and three-quarter lengths.
The HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al Thani-owned and Alban de Mieulle-trained Tayf was the runner-up with Olivier Peslier in the saddle. The Karen Van Den Bos-trained Lightning Bolt was third. He was ridden by Tadhg O’Shea.
Ebraz had finished second in the last two renewals of the G1 event and Smart was delighted that he had finally got his head in front.
He said, “We came back to try and win this race with Ebraz again this year … This particular race is huge and we have won it now so it is even more important. The Qatar Goodwood Festival is a very prestigious meeting and to have an Arabian race within the meeting is very important. It gives us a wider audience and allows people to watch our racing.”
Meanwhile, Al Shahania Stud Director Abdulrahman al Mansour expressed his great pleasure with Ebraz winning the Qatar International Stakes.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani. It is the first victory for Ebraz at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. We had tried more than once to win the title and managed to do it today. It is certainly special because it coincides with Gazwan’s victory at Newbury a few days ago, which means that Al Shahaniya Stud dominates the Arabian racing scene in UK,” he said.
“We will have other challenges in the near future, especially in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at ParisLongchamp in October. I wish Al Shahania Stud all the best especially with the high attention paid by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani and His Highness’s keenness to own the best Arabian breeds in the world,” he added.
Too Darn Hot lands Qatar Sussex Stakes (Gr 1)
Newmarket trainer John Gosden has not been admitted to admit he made errors in the races he picked this season for Too Darn Hot, and reiterated his failure after the colt won today’s £1,059,250 G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes. Too Darn Hot was nudged to victory by Frankie Dettori, who was riding his 11th G1 win of a memorable year. The partnership beat the Aidan O’Brien-trained duo Circus Maximus and I Can Fly by half a length and a length and a quarter in the mile-long contest.
Unibet Goodwood Handicap Stakes (Class 2)
Timoshenko provided the legendary Newmarket trainer Sir Mark Prescott with a 14th victory following his gutsy success in the £50,000 Unibet Goodwood Handicap this afternoon. Ridden by Luke Morris, the four-year-old son of Archipenko wore down the William Knight-trained Seinesational in the closing stages of the extended two mile and four furlong event to score by a neck. The Roger Charlton-trained True Destiny was third. Timoshenko was registering his sixth victory in succession on his first start since August 2018.
