Sam Billings top-scores as England beat Ireland on ODI return page 11

Friday, July 31, 2020

Qatar Goodwood Festival 2020 - day 3 PSG target domestic treble while hoping for Mbappe ‘miracle’ AFP inside the 80,000-seat Stade Paris de France due to restrictions on gatherings. Friday’s game Paris Saint-Germain can be- against Lyon will go ahead latedly wrap up another do- in front of a similarly limited mestic treble on Friday when number of fans. they face Lyon in the final of the French League Cup, but their Extra motivation build-up to the game has been Postponed in early April, it overshadowed by Kylian Mbap- will be the last ever final of an pe’s ankle injury. unloved competition, albeit one The World Cup-winning su- which PSG have also dominat- perstar crocked in last Fri- ed, with five successive victo- day’s French Cup final against ries – and eight overall – before Saint-Etienne in the first com- Strasbourg won it last year. petitive game on French soil For both teams, it is a last since the coronavirus-imposed chance to prepare in a com- shutdown in March. petitive environment before became trainer Donnacha O’Brien’s first UK Mbappe was left with a resuming their Champions winner in the G1 Qatar of Goodwood sprained right ankle after a League campaigns. Qatar Festival 2020 at the , near crunching challenge from PSG head to Lisbon for the Chicester in UK on Thursday. (Pics: Sam Stephenson) Saint-Etienne’s Loic Perrin and final stages after their win over looks certain to miss the game Borussia Dortmund in the last that really counts for the Qatar- 16 in March. Meanwhile, Lyon owned club, the Champions have to go to Italy on August 7 League quarter-final against to face Juventus defending a 1-0 Atalanta on August 12. lead from the first leg of their On Thursday, PSG coach last-16 tie played in February. Fancy Blue claims Thomas Tuchel admitted it Both clubs fear being at a would take “a miracle” for the disadvantage given all their 21-year-old to recover in time Champions League rivals re- for that game in Lisbon. turned to complete their do- Angel Di Maria has al- mestic seasons while France Qatar Nassau Stakes ready been ruled out of that opted not to. Juventus and Ata- match because of suspension, lanta play their final games in to the year. We might look at Mehmas’s who will certainly and asked if there was any Serie A this weekend. Supremacy wins Irish Champions Weekend to be in high demand soon. hope for Mbappe, Tuchel said: However, Tuchel said the bring her back.” Clive Cox, said, “We knew “Yes, always, but it’s going to final cannot be used to prepare Qatar Richmond Supremacy was nice. He was be tight. Every day counts for his team to face Atalanta. Stakes Repeat Qatar Rich- very green last time, but he has us to produce a miracle.” “It is not possible to prepare mond Stakes success for been a horse with a lovely tem- PSG were handed a third tactically for Atalanta because I Agencies Cox and Kirby as Suprem- perament to deal with. He has straight Ligue 1 title by vir- don’t know any team that plays Chicester (UK) acy comes out on top done that so well and I am so tue of being top of the table the way they do,” said the Ger- Trainer Clive Cox and pleased for him - he has taken when the season was ended man. “The only thing we can The third day of the 2020 re- jockey Adam Kirby landed the a big step forward. Supremacy in April with 10 rounds of prepare is our own mindset.” newal of the Qatar Goodwood G2 Qatar has bags of speed and the way matches unplayed because of “Being without Kylian has a Festival had an eight-race a year ago with subsequent he finished that race after go- the health crisis. big influence, that’s clear. I hope card, including the Gr1 Qatar G1 Commonwealth Cup hero ing so quick was amazing.” They came out of the long we can find the solution.” Nassau Stakes for three-year- Golden Horde and the duo shutdown to win their fifth The game will be played old and older fillies and mares were on the mark again with Glamorous Girl makes French Cup in six years by beat- in searing heat, with tempera- over 2,000 metres and the Supremacy in the six-furlong all in opener to hand Ma- ing Saint-Etienne 1-0 thanks to tures in the French capital Gr2 Qatar Richmond Stakes contest for two-year-olds. son and Cox first Good- an early Neymar goal. forecast to reach 40 degrees for two-year-old colts and Supremacy on way to winning the Qatar Richmond Stakes at Goodwood A son of Al Shaqab Racing wood success That game was played in Celsius on Friday. geldings over 1,200 metres on Qatar Festival 2020 on Thursday. Stallion Mehmas, winner of Glamorous Girl made front of just 2,800 spectators Lyon are chasing a first Thursday. The day also saw this race in 2016, Supremacy every yard a winning one piece of silverware in eight years various Qatari-owned run- Impact, following her win in rington and was ridden Tom broke well from stall two and when landing the open- and have extra motivation to ners in several races. the G1 (French Marquand. ’s soon went into the lead. He ing Mirabeau En Provence win the trophy. Oaks) on July 5. trainee finished third continued at the head of af- Handicap, a five-furlong Having failed to qualify Fancy Blue lands G1 It was Magic Wand, trained under Jim Crowley. fairs and saw off all comers contest for three-year-olds. for Europe next season via the Qatar Nassau Stakes to by Aidan, who took the lead, Donnacha O’Brien, said, before going away again in the It was a first Qatar Good- league, Rudi Garcia’s team have give trainer Donnacha with astride, “That was a lovely perfor- final furlong to score by four wood Festival winner for to beat PSG to secure a place in O’Brien first winner in early in the seven runners. She mance from Fancy Blue. She lengths from Yazaman, who both Chepstow-based trainer the qualifying rounds of the the UK continued to lead until facing is unbelievable, and it is mas- is trained by William Hag- Chris Mason and jockey Wil- Europa League. Fancy Blue was Donna- a strong challenge from Fancy sive. It is unbelievable that gas and was ridden byTom liam Cox. The winner saw cha O’Brien’s first runner as Blue two furlongs out. Ridden I get a filly like her in my Marquand. Al Shaqab Rac- off all challengers to score Paris Saint-Germain’s a trainer in the UK and gave by , Fancy Blue first year. I was hopeful of a ing’s Lauded made a strong by a length and a half from injured French forward the Irish handler reason to took the lead entering the final good performance due to the challenge at the final stages Newyorkstateofmind, who is Kylian Mbappe celebrates celebrate as she became his furlong and then had to see weight she was getting, and of the race to finish third for trained by William Muir and with the trophy after first UK winner in the G1 off the strong late challenge of this race fitted in well after trainer Tom Dascombe and was ridden by David Egan. winning the French Cup Qatar Nassau Stakes. It was One Voice. Fancy Blue held on her win in the French Oaks. jockey Richard Kingscote. Show Me Show Me, trained final at the Stade de France a second success at the top by a neck in front of One Voice, We will give her a little break This clear-cut victory reflects by Richard Fahey, finished in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on level for the daughter of Deep who is trained by Jessica Har- now. She has had a busy start the high class the progeny of third under Paddy Mathers. July 24th. (AFP)

Ebraz, Tayf to compete head-to-head in Qatar

half. The Qatar Arabian World Cup The 2017 and 2019 at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend is the second stage and the HH The winners are all set for Amir Sword, the highlight of Qatar’s one-mile Gr1 P/A race annual February Festival, concludes the challenge, making it a true test Agencies across three countries. Chicester (UK) To date, Ebraz, the world’s high- est-rated Arabian, is the only horse For a fourth consecutive year, two to win the Doha Triple Crown which of the world’s leading Arabian race- carries a $1million USD bonus. In horses, Ebraz and Tayf will go head- what was a truly historic achieve- to-head in the Qatar International ment, following his Goodwood suc- however, they are the youngest and ored that a contest of this quality will Stakes. They complete a field of nine cess last year, he put up a strong least exposed of the UK runners. be our opening race of the season. declared runners for the £200,000 performance to win in Paris and then All will be coming here without the That two of the leading contenders Group 1PA contest, to be run over claimed a third victory in the HH benefit of a preparatory outing and are renewing their rivalries in this a mile on the final day of the Qatar The Amir Sword this February. Dual with prize money down to sixth, the race for a fourth time and are previ- Goodwood Festival on Saturday. Group 1PA winner Tayf is a worthy Ebraz (left) had beaten Tayf (second from right) at the 2019 edition of Qatar competition for the lower places will ous winners, underlines the appeal The race will be the first to be held in opponent, having beaten Ebraz here International Stakes (Group 1 PA) at Goodwood. (Photo: Debbie Burt) be strong. and durability of the breed. front of UK spectators since the on- in 2017 in an epic dual throughout QREC CEO Nasser bin Sherida “Though our season has been set of Covid19 and promises to be a the final furlong and finished runner- pattern successes so far and was Troupour and Zayin Angkor Cen- Al Kaabi commented: “We have all delayed, we are very grateful for thrilling contest. up to him here last year, and in this beaten half a length in November turion have been found wanting been impacted by this pandemic, but the continued support of Qatar The Arabian Racing Organisa- years’ HH The Amir Sword. on only his second attempt at the in this before, the most interesting this year’s edition of the race reflects Racing and Equestrian Club and tion (ARO) was delighted when Qatar Also opposing from France are highest level, also at this trip. This could be Shaheer, making his UK our passion to support Arabian rac- Goodwood racecourse of UK Ara- Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) two progressive five-year-olds, Dery- month he denied Ebraz a win on debut for new connections. He was ing under any circumstances. I also bian racing at this most challenging confirmed that the race, the most val- an and Bel’izam. Deryan comes here his European reappearance, so is Group 1PA placed in France as a ju- would like to thank both ARO and time. Though our season has been uable race in their calendar, would go on the back of a recent Group 1PA clearly going the right way. venile and in another similar event Goodwood for their commitment pushed back in the calendar due to ahead. It forms the first stage of the success over further and has three The remaining five runners are in 2018. and hard work.” the current circumstances, we are Doha Triple Crown, comprising of further pattern wins to his name, in- all UK trained, the largest number The sporting connections of Ti- Commenting on the event ARO all delighted to have the opportu- three Group 1PA contests over a mile, cluding one at this distance. of domestic challengers since the jaary and Abiyah Athbah both ad- Finance and Commercial Director nity to showcase our sport on the a mile and a quarter and a mile and a Bel’izam has scored three race began in 2015. Whilst Storm mit that career bests are required, Genny Haynes said: “We are hon- world’s stage once more.”