program at Newbury, including the Group 1 Shadwell
Dubai International Stakes with Gazwan. “We came over
to England from France with three horses and they have
all won,” Smart said.
Ebraz and Gazwan have been the main stars for Sheikh
Mohammed and Smart in the last few years. Ebraz was
the top-rated Arabian runner in 2017, according to
year-end rankings compiled by a panel of international
experts. Last year, he finished tied for fourth on the list
behind Gazwan who shared the leading role.
A six-year-old, Ebraz can seemingly run in any
conditions at any distance. He has shown to be effective
at the Qatar International Stakes distance of a mile. He
won the 2017 Emir’s Sword at 2,400 meters, or 1 ½ miles,
in Qatar in 2017 and again earlier this year, when the race
was called the Amir’s Sword. Ebraz has been third in the
last two runnings of the Qatar Arabian World Cup at 1 ¼
miles in France, Europe’s top race for Arabians.
The Qatar International Stakes, England’s richest race
for Arabians, has developed into Europe’s top mile race
for the breed. This year’s running was Ebraz’s second
start of his European campaign, preceded by a victory in
the Group 3 Coupe du Sud-Ouest des Pur-Sang Arabes
at La Teste Racecourse in France on July 2.
Ebraz was ridden by Maxime Guyon, who kept his
mount at the back of the field for the first half of the race.
Turning into the stretch, Ebraz was not positioned well. He
was on the rail and surrounded by rivals, with no running
space at a pivotal time. Guyon gradually moved Ebraz
closer to the front, later than intended, and forced his
mount through a narrow gap between runners before
taking the lead. Ebraz pulled away to win impressively.
“We have had a good race finally,” said Guyon. “The
horse loves to battle so, I preferred to come between
horses. He can stop in front, but he showed a good turn
of foot.”
The style of the win left Smart a bit nervous. “We
came back to win this race with Ebraz again this year,
but halfway through I did not think he would win as he
was off the bridle and struggling,” Smart said. “That was
not like him at all. He usually travels very strongly in his
races and pulls himself up.
“Once he got out of trouble, that he really shouldn’t
have been in, I had a feeling he was going to win.”
The leading finishers in the Qatar International Stakes
were a familiar group. Tayf (Amer x Djelmila by
Manganate) finished second in his third consecutive
appearance in the race for Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa
Al Thani of Qatar and trainer Alban de Mieulle. Tayf won
the 2017 running, edging Ebraz, and was fourth to
Muraaqib last year.
Lightning Bolt (Munjiz x Oleya du Loup by Kerbella)
was third in the 2018 Qatar International Stakes and
third again this year. Lightning Bolt has had great
success in England in the past, winning the 2016
President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, the U.K.
Arabian Derby, at Doncaster Racecourse, and the Group
1 Shadwell Dubai International Stakes at Newbury
in 2017.
The Qatar International Stakes is run on the second
afternoon of the five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting,
one of the primary attractions of the British summer
Thoroughbred racing season. This is the race’s fifth year,
and has always drawn a leading field in pursuit of such a
big prize.
“To have an Arabian race here is very important,”
Smart said. “It gives us a wider audience and allows
people to watch our racing.”
Some of the racing fans who attend Goodwood are
likely to be at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on the
first Sunday of October for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe,
Europe’s top race for Thoroughbreds. The same
program includes the Qatar Arabian World Cup, a race
likely to include Ebraz.
Steve Andersen is a correspondent for Daily
Racing Form.
“A six-year-old, Ebraz can
seemingly run in any conditions
at any distance.”
AHW > 113 < 8.19
sharon
(sharon)
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