Four European-trained runners have been nominated for next week's Qatar International Derby Festival at Al Rayyan Racecourse. Dark Angel (Ire) 2-year-old colt Tip Two Win (Ire) represents trainer Roger Teal and jockey David Probert in the $100,000 Al Rayyan S. going seven furlongs on the turf on Dec. 29, while the $500,000 Qatar Derby the following day features German-trained runners Northsea Star (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Parviz (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), and Italian Mac Mahon (Ity) (Ramonti {Fr}).
Teal said of Tip Two Win, winner of the Listed Flying Scotsman S. and second in the G3 Tattersalls S., “We are all very excited as Tip Two Win will be my first runner in the Gulf since Steele Tango, who won a couple of races at Meydan back in 2011. We kept Tip Two Win on the go after the Tattersalls S. in the hope that we would be able to take him to America for the Breeders' Cup. When he just missed out on a place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf we decided to send him to Qatar instead.”
“We have stepped up his work over the last few weeks and he will have his final hitout in Lambourn [Thursday] morning,” Teal added. “He's quite an easy horse to train but he has been beginning to get a bit fresh and he could do with a race now–it will be nice to get some of the fire out of his belly.”
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