Agencies
Qatari colours recorded two black-type victories at La Teste De Buch, France, on Friday when the Al Shaqab Racing-owned Ryme Al Cham and the H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned Amyr Du Soleil won the Prix Razzia III (Gr 3 / PA) and the Prix Tidjani (Gr3 / PA) respectively.
Both wins, not only came in two classic races over 1,900 metres, which were the very first two events of the nine-race card, but were also associated with the same duo; trainer Thomas Fourcy and jockey Julien Augé.
Al Shaqab Racing representatives did not wait for long and demonstrated their class in the Prix Razzia III (Gr 3 / PA), the opener of the card when the Thomas Fourcy-saddled Ryme Al Cham and Um Taj took home the first and the second places respectively in the race reserved for three-year-old fillies.
Ryme Al Cham cantered in last position in the early stages and took a bit of time before finding her action. Once the daughter of Af Albahar managed to accelerate, she came fast on the straight to land the spoils just in front of the Jerome Cabre-ridden Um Taj, who finished second only a nose behind.
The É Dell’Ova-trained and William Smit-ridden Mzoon completed the frame with a further short head behind.
With this Gr 3 win at La Teste under her belt in her only second start, Ryme Al Cham has confirmed her class as a very promising prospect, especially as she was the runner-up in her debut when she was defeated by a head by Meethag, another filly owned by Al Shaqab Racing, at Toulouse on 1 June this year.
Meanwhile, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Amyr Du Soleil claimed the other black-type event of the day immediately in the second race.
The duo Fourcy-Augé made it a quick-double fire when the son of Amer brilliantly won the Prix Tidjani (Gr3 / PA) reserved for three-year-old colts. Having followed the leader, Amyr Du Soleil easily took the advantage at the start of the home straight and made every post a winning one. Indeed, he kept detaching himself from the rest of the field.
His closest rival, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned and the Jerome Cabre-ridden Mounjared Al Cham was three lengths behind and came second, making it another one-two for his trainer, Thomas Fourcy.
Although defeated, Mounjared Al Cham did so well that he finished further 11 lengths in front of the Guy Dell’ova-owned and É Dell’Ova-trained Guythoum De Carrère who came third under Roberto-Carlos Montenegro.