Old Partnership Back Amongst The Winners
It was 2013 when Glory Awaits almost caused one of the greatest upsets in racing when finishing 2nd in the 2000 Guineas to the star Dawn Approach. He went one better to win the Group 2 Topkapi Trophy the following year and it was this victory that proved one of the last for owner Ahmad Al Sheikh and Kevin enjoyed together. After 3 years of separation Kevin gratefully welcomed back the green and white colours and the partnership didn’t have to wait long to strike success as Al Khawaneej Boy shed his maiden tag in the 7f British Stallion Studs EBF Kegworth Novice Stakes at Leicester.
After receiving 3 juveniles, Kevin quickly set about finding out where he stood with them and plans were put into motion about what direction to head in. Al Khawaneej Boy showed early on that he had ability and would be ready to run when the correct opportunity arose. Having shown ability at home, he also showed that he was a powerful galloper which gave the impression that 7f would be an ideal starting point. That start came at Thirsk but a spanner was thrown into the works when he missed the break, giving his rivals a good start. Running well throughout his debut, once they hit the straight the colt really picked up well and ate up the ground lost. Unfortunately it was just too much but he ran on very well to finish fourth, a position that initially looked improbable.
That debut run was full of promise and all felt that he could have won if jumping better. He also showed that the soft ground was no issue which was a positive as we moved into the latter part of the season. Having come out of the race well, Kevin didn’t wait too long before finding another opportunity for Khawaneej and sent the juvenile to Leicester with high hopes of getting off the mark.
With a gentleman’s agreement in place with the owner, Tom Queally took the ride for the first time. Khawaneej had raced on soft ground on debut but this was an even stiffer test with recent weather causing the ground to be described as heavy. He showed the benefit of a run and this time around jumped smartly, quickly into stride and to the fore. Tom chose to keep a straight line and headed towards the centre of the track but there was a differing opinion and the field split into 2 groups, evenly split to track Khawaneej and Blacklooks who led on the rail and just edged Khawaneej overall.
Despite the testing conditions the pace was a good one and after a furlong the field actually split further into 3 distinct groups, showing that all the jockeys were searching for the best ground. Khawaneej was showing a very professional attitude this time around, proving that he had learnt plenty for his debut effort. With just daylight in front of him Tom allowed his mount to stride on and they travelled well on the heavy going. Although they raced across the track there was little covering the entire field and all seemed to be handling conditions for the first half of the race.
Moving into the second half of the contest and Khawaneej had edged into the lead, moving a little bit closer towards the stands side group. He was travelling smoothly and as he snatched the lead it caused a couple to start working, trying to keep on terms. Although they moved through the race well, there was still the stiff finish for Tom to worry about so he kept a tight hold of his mount, readying him for a final burst.
As they hit the 2f marker the race was on with the majority of the field working hard to try and pressure Khawaneej. The favourite, Port Swtan, was making eye catching headway from the back and came through to be a big danger. Tom was the last to play his hand and as he loosened the reins his mount began to lengthen in front. Now Khawaneej put some space between himself and the field with plenty more to come. Nobody could match the initial increase in pace from Khawaneej and it was left now to the favourite to try and hunt him down.
With only the final furlong to run and the ground steadily rising, it was now that Khawaneej was really asked for everything. The field had been strung out by the leader’s increase in tempo and with the favourite giving chase it seemed as though there was little to stop the Khawaneej. Tom shook him up and the juvenile changed his legs, quickened up and skipped clear. He showed there was plenty left in the tank and readily put the race to bed by moving into an unassailable advantage. Opening up by 7-8 lengths allowed Tom to ease his mount down close to the line as Khawaneej earned an impressive 6 length win.
It was a nice performance from Al Khawaneej Boy and great to have another winner for Ahmad Al Sheikh. Obviously people will question the race due to the ground and although he showed that he handled conditions there were some factors to take into account that prove it was an impressive run. Khawaneej did it the hard way by cutting out much of the running before quickening clear. He did this without any support and ran through the line. This showed a great attitude and could possibly suggest that a mile would not be out of the question. Obviously he has now raced twice on ground with ease in it so that may be a consideration for the future. With him able to handle softer conditions, Khawaneej may have some opportunities later in the season but he certainly looks a nice prospect for the future.