UK, Doncaster 17 August 2024
There was a thrilling finish to this year’s £80,000 UAE President Cup – UK Arabian Derby Group 1PA held over 1m2f at Doncaster this afternoon with Luwsail and Ioritz Mendizabal winning by a head from Extra Time on the line. Reversing the French Arabian Derby form from Chantilly it was desperately close, with Molfit and Lukas Delozier having taken it up from long-time leader Amirat Al Zaman in the straight, leaving odds on favourite Extra Time and Tadhg O’Shea to steadily reel him in on their outside. However Mendizabal had played a waiting game with Lswail and squeezed up the rail to snatch victory in the final strides, with Molfit just half a length away in third.
This is a first UAE President Cup – UK Arabian Derby win for owner breeders Al Shaqab Racing, but a second for their super sire Al Mourtajez, who also sired last year’s winner, Al Doha. It was also a first win in the race for trainer Francois Rohaut, who handles the third, Molfit, however Mendizabal knows his way to the winners enclosure at Doncaster having been successful on Hayyan in 2019.
This is the seventh race out of 15 around the world for the UAE President Cup this year, whose race sponsorship started over thirty years ago and is the oldest Purebred Arabian Classic series. HE Faisal Al Rahmani, Event Manager for the UAE President Cup was on course to welcome the winners and present the trophies to Rohaut and Mendizabal.
Quotes:
Ioritz Mendizabal, jockey, 1st: “The pace was slow and my horse doesn’t gallop relaxed, he was already pulling 500m after the start. The trainer asked me to wait because he has a very good finish. He’s a very good horse.”
Francois Rohaut, trainer, 1st: “Luwsail is a horse that loves to come through others, probably at Chantilly he came a bit to early and today I said to Ioritz to wait, wait, wait, he won like that in March in Toulouse beating older horses, so he can do that. He loves this way of riding him. It was difficult, but he’s a brave horse and he likes to fight. He’ll either go to Longchamp, for the World Cup, or that will be it for this year.”
Tadgh O’Shea, jockey, 2nd: “He ran a very good race, the pace was very slow, but he relaxed well, I think the winner got a very lucky run down the rail, the door opened late for him in the race, he was lucky. My horse ran very well, when he saw the winner, he battled back, but the line came too soon.”
Marco Ghiani, jockey, 5th: “Amirat Al Zaman has improved from Newbury, mentally and physically, she was quite settled in front today which was nice to see. She quickened well but the winner squeezed past me and she just lost her action a bit and never recovered to finish the race as I wanted to. She will improve again from this I’m sure.”
HE Faisal Al Rahmani, Event Manager for the UAE President Cup: “We are delighted for the winners of the race today. I’m very pleased with the way the series is going, we started with just six races and now there are 15 around the world. The directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed lead our race agenda to the highest level of global success. The British stage represents the pinnacle of racing and reflects the fruitful partnership of this extraordinary event.”
Genny Haynes, ARO Chief Executive Officer said, “ARO warmly congratulates the winners and I’m sure we will see Lwsail go on to further success, just as all our previous winners have done.
“We thank the HE Faisal Al Rahmani, the UAE President Cup and Doncaster racecourse for supporting our most valuable race for four-year-olds this season and congratulate Yvanna Lacoste who not only looked after the winner, but received the Best Turned Out award as well.
