DOHA : Jungle Monarch claimed his first victory of the 2026-27 local horse racing season by winning the Rowdat Rashid Cup at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Tuesday, headlining the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s (QREC) seventh feature meeting of the campaign.
Owned by HE Mansour bin Ibrahim bin Saad Al Mahmoud, the five-year-old won the 1,200-metre Thoroughbred handicap for horses aged three and above, rated 85-105, which served as the evening’s ninth and feature race.
Ridden by Marco Casamento and trained by Jassim Al Ghazali, Jungle Monarch finished three lengths ahead of The Dunkirk Lads, who took second place under Jefferson Smith. Sweet Fantastic, ridden by Alberto Sanna, finished third.
The nine-race meeting featured Thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian contests and attracted a strong turnout of owners, trainers and jockeys.
Estithmar opened the programme with a six-length victory in the 1,900-metre Thoroughbred handicap for horses rated 45-65. Owned by Injaaz Stud, the winner was ridden by Sanna and trained by Jihad Khaled Al Ahmed.
High Approval followed with a six-and-a-quarter-length success in the 1,200-metre Thoroughbred maiden. Ridden by Arnaud de Lepine and trained by Hamad Al Jehani, the horse represented owner Abdullah Mohammed Rashid Shara’an Al Khayarin.
Kraar won the third race, a 1,200-metre maiden for two-year-old Thoroughbreds, by a length and a quarter. Owned by Abdulrahman Mohammed Khalifa Abdullah Al Attiyah, the horse was ridden by Casamento and trained by Al Ghazali.
Sanna secured another victory in the fourth race, guiding Mutheer Al Naif to a three-and-a-half-length win in the 1,200-metre maiden for locally bred Purebred Arabians. The horse was owned by Al Naif Racing and trained by Mohammed Khaled Al Ahmed.
Sanna completed a hat-trick in the fifth race aboard Jabahat, who won the 1,900-metre handicap for locally bred Thoroughbreds by four lengths. Owned by Injaaz Stud and trained by Jihad Khaled Al Ahmed, the victory gave the trainer his second success of the evening.
Yaqoob edged the field by a quarter of a length to win the sixth race, a 1,900-metre Purebred Arabian handicap. Owned by Hamad Mareet Saad Al Fhaid Al Hajri, the horse was ridden by Ghanem Ahmed Al Jehani and trained by Hamad Al Jehani.
Al Ghazali and Casamento combined for their second victory of the meeting in the seventh race, with Hadi De Carrere winning the 1,900-metre Purebred Arabian conditions contest by two-and-a-half lengths. The horse was owned by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani.
Damaah completed the winners’ list in the eighth race, taking the 1,200-metre handicap for locally bred Purebred Arabians by one length. Owned by Abdulaziz Saleh Hassan Al Jaber, the horse was ridden by Smith and trained by Hadi Al Ramzani.
Jungle Monarch’s victory provided a fitting finish to the meeting as Qatar’s local racing season continued with another competitive programme at Al Rayyan Racecourse.
