By Sam Turner The decision to allow Rebel’s Romance to dominate paid dividends in the HH The Amir Trophy in Doha over the weekend as the Charlie Appleby trainee bolted up in Qatar. A masterful riding performance from William Buick saw the globetrotting six-year-old find the front from an awkward post position in 10, before the British Champion Jockey dictated proceedings at the head of affairs. Buick asked his mount to lengthen and put the race to bed 200m from home and the son of Dubawi generously accomodated his rider, putting clear daylight between himself and a raft of Japanese challengers. Zeffiro ran through to take second under Joao Moreira, narrowly in front of Japanese colleagues Satono Glanz (Yuga Kawada) and North Bridge, partnered by Yasunari Iwata. Buick was pleasantly surprised at the impressive nature of Rebel’s Romance’s performance. He said: “I managed to get things my own way and he enjoyed it. “When he got to the front he wasn’t going to get caught. He was very good and really showed up – it was a great result for everyone. “He is a Breeders’ Cup winner and went through that season almost unbeaten. He looked great beforehand and the concern we had was his draw in ten, but Charlie was keen to go forward and he got to the front easily and relaxed.” Buick flew in from Britain for four rides, and added: “It’s a well-renowned race now and Qatar puts on a great meeting. The Japanese came with quality horses on paper, so we looked at it and thought Rebel’s Romance would have to be at his best to be competitive.” A trip to Dubai next month for the Dubai Sheema Classic could now be on the cards for Appleby’s stalwart.
OSBORNE RIDING THE CREST OF A WAVE
Just when Saffie Osborne thought life couldn’t get any better. The 21-year-old, who became the first female rider to record a victory at Meydan Racecourse on Friday evening when Ouzo scored, added a Group 3 success to her burgeoning resume when Emaraaty Ana landed the Dukhan Sprint in thrilling fashion. The eight-year-old, an eyecatching fifth on his Dubai debut last month, showed the benefit of that outing stepping up to 1200m, fighting on gamely when challenged by Monsieur Noir (Oisin Murphy) and the Buickridden Mischief Magic to prevail by a head.
“She spent most of her life being a liability and at last it appears like she’s proving to be an asset,” joked trainer Jamie Osborne, father of the winning rider. He added: “We learned a lot about him after his first run at Meydan. This was only his second start for us, but it looked like the kind of set-up that would work for him and thankfully we were right. “I need to thank Ian and Claire (owners), who have bought into this concept of having nice horses out here and finding the highestquality ones we can go to nice places with.”
AL GHADEER EARNS LEGENDARY STATUS WITH TRIPLE CROWN WIN
Under the patronage and in presence of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Ghadeer won the HH The Amir Sword, in doing so made history by winning the Doha Triple Crown. Only one horse has previously managed the feat when HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Ebraz managed it in 2020 and past history has proved it is a tough assignment for any Arabian as the Triple Crown is made up of three Group One tests over different distances; 1600m, 2000m and 2400m. Previously, Al Ghadeer was the impressive winner of the Qatar International Stakes at Goodwood in August and the Qatar Arabian World Cup at ParisLongchamp in October before tackling the $2.5 million Saturday feature where he was ridden by Christophe Soumillon to win the third and final leg of the Crown. Once in the home straight, Al Ghadeer took the lead and the Mikael Barzalona-ridden Abbes, a winner of a valuable event at Abu Dhabi himself before Christmas, followed him through. The final 200m turned into a duel between the two rivals, but Al Ghadeer held on strongly and maintained the lead to win by a length. The Alban de Mieulle runner-up finished well in front from the rest of the field, putting seven-and-a-half lengths between him and the nearest rival behind.
ODDYSSEY WINS AL RAYYAN MILE
The Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman M Al-Thani-owned Oddyssey continued winning ways with a comfortable two-length victory in the QA Group 2 Al Rayyan Mile for three-year-olds. The Gassim Ghazalitrained chestnut colt, with Maxime Guyon in the saddle, completed a treble of victories at the expense of the John and Thady Gosdentrained Orne who finished runner-up under jockey Robert Havlin.
