The connections of Hadi De Carrere celebrate their win. PIC: Juhaim/QREC
Doha, Qatar: Hadi De Carrere returned to the winner’s circle, claiming the Ain Sinan Cup with an impressive victory in the Purebred Arabian Open Race at Al Uqda Racecourse yesterday.
The feature contest, limited to just five runners, saw the nine-year-old bay reaffirm his class with a commanding performance.
Owned by Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohamed bin Faleh Al-Thani and trained by Gassim Al Ghazali, Hadi De Carrere bounced back from a runner-up finish to secure his second victory from three starts this season.
Guided by Marco Casamento, he powered home to win by 2¼ lengths, completing a memorable treble for both trainer and jockey on the day.
The race began in dramatic fashion as M’tawa El Saa’yeb burst from barrier one and immediately set a strong tempo, forging a significant lead in the early stages.
The rest of the field adopted a more restrained approach, with Hadi De Carrere settling comfortably at the head of the chasing pack, just ahead of Nasser Al Shahania, conserving energy as the race unfolded.
The positions remained largely unchanged through the halfway point, but the early leader’s advantage began to shrink after the 1000m mark, as the fast pace started to take its toll. Approaching the home turn, Hadi De Carrere was eased into contention from his handy position and began to close in with purpose.
Once inside the final 200m, he took control decisively, swallowing up M’tawa El Saa’yeb and pulling clear to secure a convincing victory.
The meeting’s seven-race card produced a full spectrum of winners, beginning with Lahab, who opened the day with a victory in the local Thoroughbred maiden. Shamshon ANR prevailed in a tight Purebred Arabian contest, while Thunder Valley was awarded the handicap after a stewards’ inquiry.
Politico produced a late surge to win decisively, and Al Ryan Park dominated once again with a wide-margin success.
Maarek continued his consistent form with a commanding staying performance, before Hadi De Carrere reasserted his class to close the day in style.
