Rising star Lippo de Carrere caps sensational HH The Amir Sword Festival

The 50th anniversary of the HH The Amir Sword Festival ended in sensational style as Wathnan Racing sealed the leading owner title with six victories across the prestigious four-day meeting in Doha.

In a sense it was a case of saving the best for last as the final day of the meeting featured four Wathnan winners, including success in the feature race, the HH The Amir Sword, a Group 1 for Purebred Arabians. Lippo de Carrere, trained by Alban de Mieulle, posted a resounding triumph over the the outstanding Al Ghadeer in his final career start as the latter attempted to make history with a third third successive victory in the race and a third Doha Triple Crown.

It was not to be, with Lippo de Carrere being perfectly poised on the inside under Maxim Guyon, stalking Al Ghadeer through the early stages before unleashing a determined challenge to overpower the defending champion close to home.

Already successful in last month’s HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy, the Qatar Derby and the G1 UK Arabian Derby on the St Leger undercard at Doncaster last year, the progressive five-year-old is the rising star on the scene as Al Ghadeer is preparing to retire to stud. 

Olly Tait said after the race, ‘To beat a champion such as Al Ghadeer is bittersweet, but we are thrilled with Lippo de Carrere who is a horse on the way up. We are thrilled to win the Sword.’

Alban de Mieulle and Wathnan Racing struck again in the other Group 1 contest for Purebred Arabians, the Qatar International Cup. This time it was Chdia’s chance to shine as the five-year-old mare followed up her success in the Purebred Arabian Oaks in December with her third win of the season, beating Lino by three lengths. 

The trainer’s dominance of the Arab races had included a Wathnan Racing one-two the previous day with Khaddah and Dabidah in the Purebred Arabian 4YO Cup. In the Al Rayyan Breeders’ Cup for Qatar-bred Thoroughbreds, Doha Bu Thaila, bred by Hadi Al Hajri, dead-heated for first place with Al Faisal while Equinoxe was not far behind his stable-mate when taking third in that same contest. 

A successful meeting for Hamad Al-Jehani included taking the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup with Make Me King, who had been third in the race last year and beat a classy international field, demonstrating an impressive turn of foot under Pierre-Charles Boudot. Now six, the striking grey’s seven wins have come in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, France and England, including a Group 3 and three Listed victories.

Bringing the curtain down on the final day of the festival was the inaugural running of the Qatar International Thoroughbred Handicap Cup. The 2,400-metre contest capped a memorable afternoon for both Maxime Guyon and Alban de Mieulle when Wafei sped home after leading throughout to give the trainer his third winner of the day and the jockey his fourth.

The wins kept coming beyond Qatar, with nine victories overall for Wathnan Racing across the weekend in three different countries. There was further success for English Oak, who backed up his success in the Burj Azizi Handicap at Meydan on 16 January with another win at the track when dropping back in trip slightly for the seven-furlong Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback. Since joining Hamad Al-Jehani’s team in Dubai, the six-year-old is now two wins for two runs. 

Over in Riyadh on the flagship Saudi Cup card, Wathnan Racing’s runners were also to the fore. Royal Ascot hero Lazzat was only narrowly beaten when second in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint while Tumbarumba posted another mighty effort to take third in a strong field for the G1 Saudi Cup behind two Breeders’ Cup winners of last November, Forever Young and Nysos.

While plenty of the horses competing at the Saudi Cup meeting while be heading next to Dubai, Wathnan Racing’s Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show geared up for his defence of the title with a gritty victory in the G3 Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday. The consistent six-year-old has now won 12 of his 24 starts with earnings in excess of $9 million.

Completing another successful spell for the Hamad Al-Jehani team in the Middle East, on Sunday David Of Athens posted back-to-back wins at Jebel Ali when dead-heating with Masmak in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile.