Szczepan Mazur guides Medan towards victory in the Lekhraib Cup. PIC: JUHAIM/QREC
Doha, Qatar: Lekhraib Cup Day at Al Uqda Racecourse yesterday delivered an exciting evening of racing, with seven competitive events unfolding on the turf. The feature race belonged to Medan, who closed the meeting in style.
Medan produced a powerful late run to capture the Lekhraib Cup, a 2200m Purebred Arabian Handicap for older horses. Carrying top weight and making her seasonal return, the 7-year-old grey mare, trained by Mohammed Hassan Al Matwi and ridden confidently by Szczepan Mazur, surged home to win by three-quarters of a length. After settling behind the leaders, she unleashed her best stride in the final furlong to run down Jenkille Hipolyte, who held second, while Raed closed late for third.
The afternoon opened with a sharp performance from Crest Of Esteem, who broke his maiden in the 1400m Thoroughbred opener. Held off the pace early, he finished strongly under Alberto Sanna to win by 1½ lengths, with Waajidd and The Hrse Horse filling the places in a tight finish.
Serengeti Sunset returned to winning form in the 2200m Thoroughbred Handicap for Qatari and apprentice jockeys, sweeping past Loaded Gun in the final strides for a two-length victory. Achika then claimed the Local Thoroughbred Handicap in a dramatic short-head finish, outlasting Ghafan in a stirring battle to the line.
Glory Of The Stars followed with another photo-finish win, edging September Leaves by a nose in the 1400m fillies and mares handicap. Tamborrada showed stamina to land the 2200m handicap for older horses, finishing strongest to overtake the long-time leader See All Match.
Razy completed the card with a commanding front-running victory in the Local Purebred Arabian Handicap, making all the running to seal a confident seasonal return.
