Samha Alseej, ridden by Arnaud de Lepine, leads the field during the feature. PIC: Juhaim/QREC
Doha, Qatar: Samha Alseej stormed to victory in the Al Bidda Cup, producing a blistering late burst under jockey Arnaud de Lepine to land the Local Thoroughbred Graduation Plate feature at Al Rayyan Racecourse yesterday.
Making a winning debut, the filly – owned and trained by Jassim bin Hamad Al-Atteya – proved far too strong in the closing stages of the 1400m contest, powering clear inside the final 100m to win by 1½ lengths.
The success capped a double for De Lepine on the day.
Earlier, the jockey had guided Ibrahim Khaled Elahmed’s Minsk to a one-length victory in the 1200m Local Thoroughbred Handicap (0–45), maintaining a strong rhythm throughout before holding off challengers in the final stretch.
Reflecting on the feature win, De Lepine said: “She is a very good filly. When I asked her to quicken, she responded very well. It was a nice run and I am happy with the victory.”
Jockeys Alberto Sanna and Pierre-Charles Boudot also notched up two wins each on the nine-race card at the 68th Al Rayyan Race Meeting.
Sanna opened his account by guiding Maraaheb to victory in the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate before rounding off the meeting with a half-length success aboard Mohimma in the Purebred Arabian Handicap (80–100), the final race of the day.
Boudot produced a quick double, first steering Mohammed Al Ghazali-trained Studio City to a neck win in the Thoroughbred Handicap (75–95), before sealing a commanding three-length victory on Monaafasah in the 1400m Purebred Arabian Handicap (70–90).
Elsewhere, Rudy Nerbonne-trained Safwan Al Shahania, ridden by Lukas Delozier, claimed the Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Plate, while Morello Man landed the Thoroughbred Handicap (0–75) under Saleh Faraj Al-Otaibi.
Al Ghazali-trained Make Love also featured on the card, winning the Thoroughbred Handicap (60–80) by half a length with Salem Alajmi in the saddle. Action at the venue continues tomorrow with eight races on the card.
