Arabian racing’s outstanding horse Al Ghadeer graced Goodwood again on Glorious Goodwood Day 2 on Wednesday and repeated last year’s victory in the £400 000 Gr1 Qatar International Stakes.
This was the first leg in the Doha Triple Crown, which Al Ghadeer completed earlier this year, following up his Goodwood success in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp on Arc Weekend and in February’s HH The Amir Sword in Qatar.
Christophe Soumillon celebrates a second Qatar Goodwood Festival winner as Al Ghadeer storms home (Pic – Goodwood Racecourse)
Making his seasonal debut today, Al Ghadeer was given an easy return to the track by jockey Christophe Soumillon, who barely moved as the Al Shaqab Racing-owned five-year-old won convincingly.
Winning trainer Francois Rohaut was also responsible for the third home Ska De L’Aigle, with the Jean de Mieulle-trained Al Wakrah, also owned by Al Shaqab Racing, taking second.
Rohaut said: “Christophe calls Al Ghadeer the Frankel of the Arabian world and we know why. He is an exceptional horse and the best I have ever trained.
“He is by far the best at the moment and no-one can beat him over a mile, mile and a quarter and a mile and a half, in soft going, good going or firm going. He is a special horse. You just have to look at him to see he is a champion and he shows it every time.
“He will try to win the (Arabian) Triple Crown again and run at Longchamp and Doha. My idea will be to give him a race in between, I think that will be a good idea.”
Soumillon said: “Al Ghadeer is amazing. We can run him over a mile, a mile and a quarter, a mile and a half, any kind of ground. He’s never run on the sand, that’s the only thing, but I think he can go on it. He is a true champion. He’s the best Arabian-bred horse I have ever ridden.
“It is such a pleasure to travel in the race like you are in morning trackwork, and in the straight I just asked him to get on his bit and to concentrate to the end, but I never asked him anything.
“When you have a horse that you know is able to win four or five Group One races in a year, you don’t want to ask him too much. If you can have some fuel in the tank for the day you are going to need to push a bit harder, because for sure one day we will have some very good horses that run against him, and a race is still a race, you never know how things can go.
“But I am so happy to be able to ride such a good horse; it was a great opportunity for me to find him two years ago, and since then we are undefeated together and I am very proud of that. He is the best of the best.”
Qatar International Stakes (Group 1 PA)
1 Al Ghadeer (Al Shaqab Racing) Francois Rohaut FR 5-9-00 Christophe Soumillon
2 Al Wakrah (Al Shaqab Racing) Jean de Mieulle QAT 6-8-10 Olivier d’Andigne
3 Ska De L’Aigle (Abdullah bin Fahad A H Al Attiyah) Francois Rohaut 5-9-00 Lukas Delozier
9 ran
- Francois Rohaut – 6th Qatar Goodwood Festival winner
- Christophe Soumillon – 2nd Qatar Goodwood Festival winner
