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Challenge accepted - Irish sprinter out to make an impact in £250,000 Doha dash

3 minute read

Dukhan Sprint (local Group 3) | 6f, 3yo+

Racecourse : Al Rayyan
Racecourse : Al Rayyan Picture: (Neville Hopwood/Getty Images)

Co Tipperary trainer Denis Hogan has travelled to Qatar for the first time in the hope that the talented Make A Challenge  can make a splash in the US$250,000 Group 3 Dukhan Sprint.

Fifth in the Group 1 Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot when last seen in October, the strapping five-year-old holds the class edge in the six-furlong contest but faces ten rivals.

They include the David O'Meara-trained Gulliver, who was third in the race in 2018 when with Hugo Palmer and arrives in Doha in good form after a win at Southwell last month. 

11.35 Doha
Al Biddah Mile (local Group 2) | 1m, 3yo

British rivals Stone Circle  and Maystar are set to lock horns again in a hot renewal of the Al Biddah Mile.

The Michael Bell-trained Stone Circle got the better of his rival when giving him 2lb over six and a half furlongs at the Curragh in September and now reopposes off level weights with $250,000 on the line.

Bell said: "We came out on top at the Curragh last time on the wrong side of the weights, so by that rationale we should have a good shot here."

However, connections of a race-fit Maystar are buoyed by the three-year-old's impressive win in Doha in December. Hollie Doyle travels over for the ride.

History could be made in the HH The Amir Sword, when the all-conquering Ebraz goes for his third victory in the meeting's million-dollar showpiece.

Trainer Julian Smart has won the last four runnings of the race and could have even more reason to celebrate this year, with an additional $1 million on offer should Ebraz complete the third leg of a purebred Arabian bonus scheme which includes the Qatar International Stakes at Goodwood and Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp.


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