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| Staff Writer |
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Al Shomos demonstrated that age is merely a number when landing the feature Marmi Cup at Al Uqda on Saturday, providing owner Saeed bin Mubarak Saeed Aljafali Al Naimi and trainer Ahmed Kobeissi with a memorable success.
The 10YO daughter of Shamardal, partnered by Faleh Bughanaim, swooped late from the rear of the field to claim the 1200m Local Thoroughbred Open Race, surging past Black Pearl and Tafaahum in the closing stages.
The five-runner contest saw Tafaahum, a son of Rio de La Plata, setting early fractions before Black Pearl took command, with Al Nasr Al Washeek in close attendance. Al Shomos, delivered with perfect timing by Bughanaim, swept past her rivals to secure victory, with Black Pearl claiming second and Tafaahum finishing third, a length and a quarter behind.
Bughanaim later completed a riding double aboard Al Shaqab Racing's Austral. The 5YO Zelzal gelding, trained by Jean de Mieulle, proved too strong in the 2100m Thoroughbred Handicap, surging clear by one and a half lengths.
Sam Langford cut out the early running, with Rothstein tracking the leader before Inherent made headway to grab third. In a thrilling finish, Austral displayed superior finishing speed to deny the fast-finishing Thunder Flow, with Rothstein holding third.
Khalil Du Croate, representing owner Khalifa bin Sheail Al Kuwari, landed the 2100m Purebred Arabian Handicap under Szczepan Mazur. The Julian Smart-trained 5YO battled gamely to deny Farhan by a quarter length, with Al Kazim back in third.
Mazur enjoyed further success when steering Ripple Effect to a maiden-breaking victory in the 1400m Thoroughbred Handicap. The Hamad Al-Jehani-trained son of Kameko proved too strong for Perfect Dark, with Enchanted Eye taking third after Kaytwo faded from early prominence.
The Polish rider completed a treble when Al Khebrah, trained by Zuhair Mohsen, dominated the 1400m Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate. The daughter of No Risk Al Maury powered clear of Fateh HCM, with Khalimero third after Faydhan weakened.
Gold Lily continued her rich vein of form for owner Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, securing back-to-back victories in the 1200m Thoroughbred Handicap. The Ibrahim Saeed Al Malki-trained mare, ridden by Youssef Lachhab, held off Nano Toro by half a length, with Hala Emaraaty a further length and three-quarters back in third.
The day's proceedings opened with Alam Al Zaeem breaking his maiden tag in the Local Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate. The Mohamed Khaled Elahmed-trained 5YO, partnered by Alberto Sanna, proved a length too good for Makarem Al Shahania, with Agshar finishing two and a half lengths away in third after early leaders Hadjira and Bin La Hoor faded.
QREC Racing Manager Abdulla Rashid Al Kubaisi presented the trophies to the winning connections.