Basalt Upstages Aafoor In HH Amir Shalfa
Basalt Denies Aafoor a Second Successive Shalfa Title at Al Rayyan
Basalt announced himself as a force in Qatar’s Thoroughbred ranks with a decisive victory in the HH The Amir Shalfa Thoroughbred Handicap Cup (Class 2) on the final day of the 48th HH The Amir Sword Festival at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha on February 14, 2026. The 4YO grey colt, bred in Ireland, clocked a time of 2:00.78 over the 2000-metre turf course to deny defending champion Aafoor and claim Qatar’s most prestigious domestic handicap, restricted to horses owned by Qatari subjects and rated 85 and above. The race, worth a total of US$400,000 (QAR1,456,000), opened the blockbuster closing day card at 15:05 local time.
Trained by Gassim AlGhazali and ridden with supreme confidence by Maxime Guyon, Basalt was drawn in stall four and carried 57.5kg under the colours of owner H.E. Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud. Guyon, France’s leading jockey and a triple winner of the Cravache d’Or, settled his mount patiently in the early stages before producing a powerful surge through the field in the closing 400 metres. Basalt quickened decisively to cross the line clear of his rivals, collecting the winner’s share of US$228,000 (QAR830,000) and extending a profitable festival for both trainer and rider.
Sharq Stud’s Pacifiste, a 4YO French-bred colt trained by Mohd Ahmed Mohd Hasan Al-Sulaiti and partnered by Jefferson Smith, ran an admirable race from draw two to finish second and claim US$88,000 (QAR320,000). Smith timed his challenge well, but Pacifiste was unable to match the winner’s turn of foot inside the final furlong.
AlGhazali Continues Dominant Festival Campaign
The result brought further disappointment for the connections of Aafoor, who returned to Al Rayyan seeking to retain the crown he won 12 months ago. The 5YO chestnut gelding, owned by Al Jeryan Stud and trained by M.H.K Al Attiyah, had arrived in strong form after a recent victory in the HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle, yet could manage only third under Szczepan Mazur, carrying the top weight of 58.5kg from a wide draw in stall 11. He took home US$44,000 (QAR160,000) for his effort.
Al Rufaa Racing’s Thor’s Hammer, a 5YO bay gelding also trained by AlGhazali, finished fourth under Marco Casamento, giving the trainer a one-two in terms of stable representation and reinforcing his status as the dominant handler at this year’s meeting. AlGhazali had already made headlines earlier in the festival by landing a treble on the opening day and recording three further victories on Day 2, a run of form described by jockey Casamento as a product of “very strong fields in the high-profile races” at the prestigious competition, according to The Peninsula Qatar. Evergreen, a 5YO bay trained by Hamad Al-Jehani and ridden by Arnaud De Lepine, completed the first five home.
The victory was significant on multiple levels. For the owner, H.E. Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, it added another prestigious festival winner to his portfolio, following the success of Dubawi Spectre in the Thoroughbred Sand Championship Cup on Day 2 of the same festival—also trained by AlGhazali. For Guyon, who had already claimed back-to-back victories on Day 2 aboard Za’eer Al Shahania and Townsend Manor, this Shalfa triumph underlined his ability to perform at the highest level across multiple racing jurisdictions.
The HH The Amir Shalfa opened a blockbuster closing day at the 48th HH The Amir Sword Festival, which this year was expanded to four days for the first time, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. The festival’s final card featured some of the most anticipated contests of the Qatari racing calendar, including the HH The Amir Trophy for Thoroughbreds and the HH The Amir Sword for Purebred Arabians, each carrying prize money of US$2.5 million (QAR9.1 million). With 10 career starts yielding four victories and three placings,
Basalt has established himself as one of the most progressive Thoroughbreds in Qatar, and his connections will now assess options for the remainder of the 2025–2026 season.
