Doha

This column is not really supposed to start until the Flat turf season gets underway but we saw the sunshine in Newmarket on Monday morning for pretty much the first time this year so we're jumping the gun a little. After all, there was plenty of top-class Flat action on offer over the weekend in the Middle East and beyond, and following some frenetic race reporting on the spot in Riyadh, here are a few thoughts and breeding angles with the benefit of some time for reflection. Deep influence  With...

Pierre-Charles Boudot, who had not ridden in public since May 2021 due to legal proceedings relating to allegations of rape, made an unexpected winning return to the saddle in Doha on day two of the Amir Sword meeting on Friday. The French native made his return to the saddle in the second race on the card, the Purebred Arabian Cup, aboard the Al Shaqab-owned Al Jori. The pair finished fourth.  Boudot was granted an emergency licence at the eleventh hour after a number of riders stood down from riding at...

Godolphin's seven-time Group 1 winner and defending champion Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) heads a stellar international entry for Qatar's $2,500,000 H.H. Amir Trophy, which is scheduled to be run over 2,400 metres at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha on Saturday, February 15. The seven-year-old Rebel's Romance could face up to five other top-level winners if attempting to repeat last year's impressive victory in Qatar's most valuable Thoroughbred contest, with a total of 69 entries from eight different countries being received. The William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai...

With an increasing number of international stamps in his passport, the multiple Group winner Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation) is fast becoming one of the most admirable horses in training. Only twice in his 16 starts has the Archie Watson-trained four-year-old ever been out of the first three, but more impressive is that 10 of those runs have ended in victory - in five different countries, and counting. On Saturday, his 2024 debut resulted in a win in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup in Qatar, a local Group 2 staged...

"Some people looked at me like I'd lost my marbles," admits Jamie Osborne. The trainer is back in rainy Lambourn following a couple of glorious days under the Middle Eastern sun. The potential moment of madness to which he refers came last October when he bid 160,000gns for the then-seven-year-old Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal).  The gelding already had 32 runs under his belt and an impressive track record for Kevin Ryan, which included victory in the G2 Gimcrack S., backed up later by his win at five in the G1...

The multiple Group winner Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation) will attempt to conquer another frontier with his first run in Qatar at the weekend. Having won races in Britain, France, Germany and Italy, as well as picking up prize-money and black type in Sweden, the Middleham Park Racing representative will make his four-year-old debut in Doha in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup at the Amir Sword meeting on Saturday, in a race worth more than £225,000 to the winner. Trained by Archie Watson, Brave Emperor has now won nine of...

Wrapping up Day 29 in Qatar, the final race on the Thursday card brought together a well-matched field of 3-year-old colts that were vying for a black-type prize. After a pair of scratches, out of the remaining 16 runners, Emperor Maximus proved best, but it was not a foregone conclusion that he would be able to make the leap in company after campaigning on-track at lower levels on three prior occasions. Just last week Dec. 22, the colt won a handicap against 13 others by 1 3/4 lengths, but he...

A stakes winner in England and stakes-performed in France and in Sweden, Outbox (GB) (Frankel {GB}) added a stamp from Qatar to his passport for Saturday's His Highness The Amir Trophy in Doha and walked away with the lion's share of the US$1-million in prize money on offer. The Amir Trophy is one of three races contested locall that is recognized internationally as black-type eligible. Ridden aggressively from a wide alley by Hollie Doyle, Outbox took up a pace-pressing position from second, as Qatari Gold (Lemon Drop Kid), with Tom...

Trainer Ado McGuinness is sending Shamrock Thoroughbreds' Harry's Bar (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) to the $1.5-million Saudi Arabian Airlines Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the $20-million Saudi Cup undercard on Feb. 20. A 75,000gns purchase out of the Tattersalls HIT Sale last October, the 6-year-old gelding saluted in the Listed Belgrave S. on Nov. 6 and took a six-panel contest on Feb. 5, both over the Dundalk synthetic. "He's in great form," said McGuinness. "He's come back 100% from his last race, he's cantering away and he's heading out to...

Three European Group 1 winners feature among a cast of 75 international entries for Qatar's biggest racing fixture, the HH The Amir Sword Festival. Last week's G2 Singspiel S. winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) has been entered for the $1 million HH The Amir Trophy, the Longines-sponsored feature race for Thoroughbreds on Feb. 20 at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha, along with Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}), who is owned by Qatar's HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and 6-year-old Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}). The latter has raced in...