Tayf and Ebraz to do battle again in Qatar International Stakes

TAYF and Ebraz, who were separated by a nose in a thrilling finish to the Qatar International Stakes (Group 1 PA) 12 months ago, are to do battle again in this year’s renewal at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on Wednesday 1st August.

The pair feature among ten entries for the £400,000 mile contest, which forms the first leg of the Doha Triple Crown.

A stellar cast also includes Ateej, Zikreet, Zayin Angkor Centurion, Storm Trouper, Kao Kat Mhf, Aaley Al Magam, Lightning Bolt and Muraaqib.

Tayf will be running for the first time this season, and French trainer Alban De Mieulle believes his charge will benefit from his reappearance.

The HH Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned six-year-old, who triumphed in testing conditions 12 months ago, was last seen finishing down the field in the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Group 1 PA) at Chantilly last October.

However, it was subsequently discovered he had suffered a minor injury, and plans to run him in Qatar this year had to be shelved.

“Just after the Arabian World Cup he was lame behind and we found a small fracture,” explained De Mieulle. “He stayed in his box for more than three months before he started working again slowly. “He is in good form now, but I think after 10 months without competition he will need at least one race to reach his top level. “

The Bordeaux La Teste handler added: “We won this race last year, but just by a nose and the weather was so bad we were only to see the race in the last 200m and not from the start. I hope the weather will be better this year.

“To win during the Goodwood meeting makes this race even more prestigious, and the best Arabian horses are there. This season the competition will be very strong.”

De Mieulle believes Ebraz will once again prove a formidable rival.

“Ebraz is one of the best horses, so he will be a big challenge, but we will be trying to beat him again,” he added.

Qatari-based trainer Julian Smart is hoping Ebraz can go one better than last year after going agonisingly close to landing the £200,000 first prize.

The five-year-old has since taken the minor honours on three occasions behind stablemate Gazwan, finishing third in the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Group 1 PA) at Chantilly in October, second in the HH The Emir’s Sword (Group 1 PA) over 1m 4f at Doha in February and third in the Qatar Gold Sword (Group 1 PA) over 1m 2f at the same venue two months later.

Now the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned grey tackles a mile, and Smart feels he will be suited by the drop in trip.

Reflecting on Ebraz’s gallant second 12 months ago when Goodwood was hit by a deluge, the Al Shahania Stud-based handler said: “I have never raced in conditions like that before. It just goes to show how tough the horses are. It was an amazing finish between two warriors of the sport.

“Unfortunately last year was a small field and he found himself in front too soon where he didn’t want to be, so hopefully this year he can run to his strengths and we will see what happens.”

With that in mind, Smart also runs pacesetter Aaley Al Magam, in the same ownership as Ebraz.

“Aaley is with us this summer purely to ensure we have pace in all the races we run,” he explained.

“His job is probably the toughest in the barn as he has to get out and do the donkey work every time he runs. He seems to be a horse capable of doing just that though, so fingers crossed all goes well.”

Dutch trainer Karin Van Den Bos feels Lightning Bolt is ready to put up a bold show.

The six-year-old, owned by Landgoed Waterland, was claiming his second top-level triumph when triumphing at Newbury last year, having pipped Tayf by a head in The Presidents of the UAE Cup (UK Arabian Derby) (Group 1 PA) at Doncaster in 2016.

Van Den Bos, who is based at Velsen, near Amsterdam, elected to bypass the Berkshire track’s big day with her stable star last weekend in favour of a trip to Sussex. The going was soft at Newbury last year and Lightning Bolt is set to face very different conditions at Goodwood with the ground good, good to firm in places.

But Van Den Bos, who also bred the chestnut son of Munjiz out of the mare Oleya Du Loup, is unconcerned with her charge having won twice on a fast surface at Duindigt.

“The most important thing is how he has grown in his mind,” she added. “Bolt is in good shape I can assure you. He is more mature and has just had two wins behind him in his backyard.”