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Al Rayyan is still hosting this although the construction of the new track is well underway.

Saturday's card has four local Group races starting off with the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup but we do not know enough about these runners not those in the Sprint, the following race.

While we have no markets (as there is no betting in Doha) we can put together a few words regarding the G2 Al Rayyan Mile for 3yos which has 16 runners.  Bariloche has a Fastnet Rock dam and is with a top local stable and will be ridden by leading jockey Ronan Thomas.

Legend of Xanadu started off with Archie Watson but has been in Dona for a couple year and is by Sixties Icon and will have Ryan Moore riding.

Courageous Knight seems to have had some "issues" involving lengthy time of but had a run at Meydan recently – he's by Dubawi and it's Appleby-Buick.

HH The Amir Trophy is G2 over 2400m.  The locals look to have a good hand with Bolthole and Inverness, both from the de Mieulle yard, with Ronan Thomas and Mickael Barzalona riding.  Aiden O'Brien is sending Stone Age, a horse he likes a lot, and our old friend Broome possibly as a pacemaker, and Appleby-Buick have Warren Point who looks useful.

Interesting to see the two Hong Kong runners here – Russian Emperor from Douglas Whyte with Alberto Sanna on board again, and Senor Toba, the Fownes lovely grey who will have Harry Bentley, a former resident jockey here, riding.