The Cidade Jardim Racecourse hosted an extraordinary race with two debuting animals battling side by side to win the Prêmio Wathba Stallions Cup For Colts & Fillies IV. The three-year-olds greys Passamarie Rach and Cromo D´Jok Trio, staged the most exciting finish of this season when they crossed together with just a half-head advantage over Passamarie. Prêmio Wathba Stallions Cup For Colts & Fillies IV was contested over 1,000m on turf for 3-year-old and older and had the participation of seven animals, four of which were debutants in races at the Jockey Club of São Paulo: 5-year-old chestnut Stud Brasil Gávea (Stud Brasil Mondesir x *Manari by Dormane), Passamarie Rach (Mared Al Sahra x Passion Rach by Vaillant Rach), Cromo D´Jok Trio (*D´Jok Py x RT Crysti by Nawwak NA) and Jazzy Rach (*Elferus x *Jazzla CME by Hariry Al Shaqab).
The race began to take shape at the start of the finishing straight with an attack from the inside by Passamarie Rach, driven by Ruberlei Viana, and Stud Brasil Gávea, ridden by Jeane Alves, while Cromo D´Jok Trio, under the guidance of apprentice jockey Danilo Novais Ap3, attacked from the outside.
The daughter of Passion Rach, champion of four races and winner of the only Group 1 race, Grand Prix Al Maktoum Cup on November 11, 2018, takes the lead being attacked strongly by Cromo D´Jok Trio, who pairs up in the final meters also looking for the victory. However, Passamarie Rach, bred and owned by Rach Stud, crosses first with ½ a head ahead.
Stud Brasil Gávea took third place, followed by Flórida Rach and Jazzy Rach in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Trainer Lucas Quintana commented: “Today was the debut of Passamarie Rach, an excellent mare who demonstrated all her potential in training. It was a very close race at the end with Cromo D´Jok Trio, a runner, side by side, but we won by half a head. She has an excellent heart and pedigree, which gives us hope for many more victories.”
Jockey Ruberlei Viana said: “I really liked Passamarie’s performance in the race, as she is an easy mare to handle and has plenty of stamina for longer distances. In training she already demonstrated this ease and desire to run.”
Ricardo Jamil Saliba, breeder and owner of Passamarie Rach, stated that “it was an exciting, high-level race, with highlights for the four debutants, three of whom had French blood, which shows an evolution because they are animals born in Brazil with a very important base in any equestrian sport. Depending on the number of animals, we will have races of all levels, because we still have many animals from classic bloodlines. The tendency is for us to have more animals with international standards.”
“In relation to Passamarie Rach, it was a planned cross, as her mother Pas-sion Rach is the only winner of a Group 1 race in Brazil, and is confirmed as a dam of champions because she is also the mother of Passionaddo Rach who has three victories. It was truly a very difficult race, very well contested with Cromo D´Jok Trio, and congratulations to the breeder Renato Salvador who made an extraordinary debut in racing with a horse with a promising future and who will give a lot of work in the upcoming races.”
“I would also like to highlight the animal from Stud Brasil, which is the breeder of the current two-time equestrian endurance champion, who debuted with an excellent third place and should evolve further and we will have more animals from this breeder who is a reason to celebrate with animals of excellent quality”.
Almir José Ribeiro, Racing Director of the Arabian Horse Breeders Brazilian Association, organizer of the race, said: “First of all, we would like to thank the trust of our sponsor HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority; who has been honoring and promoting the consolidation of Arabian Horse racing in Brazil since 2015, especially Miss Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival, who has always highlighted our races in the Wathba Stallions Cup World Calendar.”
“The important thing for the continuity of our Arabian Horse races in Brazil is that at each debut we have a team of animals that clearly show us the progress in the breeding of Arabian Sport Horses and today was no different. We had a great show that was only decided in the last few centimeters and by a minimal difference.”
“This race showed that we have three animals that will brighten up our next racing season and with the increase in distances and the change to dirt anything can happen.”
“Congratulations to the Saliba Family who once again presents the world with a great winner who has the responsibility of bringing as much glory as her mother Passion Rach who simply marked an Era in Arabian Horse Racing in Brazil.”
“Congratulations also to Haras Trio and Stud Brasil for also bringing two more great competitors who will surely win in Cidade Jardim.”
“I am extremely proud of the victory, because Mared Al Sahra was the stal-lion that when I visited Al Shahania Stud in France in 2015, he simply en-chanted me and was the first sire to be selected for the Brazilian Arabian Racehorse Program, from which we are now reaping the first results. We currently have five offspring that raced in Cidade Jardim, with victories in their debuts.”
“We also thank Al Shahania Stud and especially H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani for their generosity and selflessness in offering Brazilian breeders this batch of breeding stock free of charge, from which came Clap-ton AJR, Raj El Mared, Gluck AJR, Iron Girl Rach and Passamarie Rach.”
