The 2020 edition of the Group 1 Qatar Derby for 4-year-old Pure Arabians was won by Hattal (FR). The race is one of the major races in European Arabian racing calendar. The 2020 renewal of the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC)-sponsored event was run at Chantilly yesterday.
Trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by Iortiz Mendizabel, Hattal was having just his third career start in this race. He came to Chantilly off a win in Toulouse in the Prix de l’Hippodrome de Toulouse 5 weeks ago, having debuted for a second place at the same track back in March.
The favourite in the race, Amyr Du Soleil (GB), in the colours of H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, went off in front and set a good pace under jockey Julien Augé. He was unable to maintain his lead under the attacks of Hattal and Artemis (FR), also in the H H Sheikh Mohammed’s silks.
The JF Bernard-trained Artemis took the second place under Cristian Demuro three quarters of a length behind the winner. Al Shaqab Racing’s homebred Snan (FR) was further two and a half lengths behind as he came to snatch third place from Amyr Du Soleil in the final strides.
The race would, in a normal year, have taken place on the 3rd weekend of June. The exceptional circumstances of 2020 meant that it was moved to the first Sunday of July, joining as always the Prix de Diane Longines but also this year the Prix du Jockey Club on the racecard.
This race crowns the summer leader of the 4-year-old generation of Purebred Arabians.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com