CCRICKETRICKET | Page 4 MMLBLB | Page 6 Ring-rusty Teams should Proteas begin follow science, march on 2023 beat pandemic, World Cup says Biden Friday, April 2, 2021 FOOTBALL Sha’aban 20, 1442 AH North Macedonia shock GULF TIMES Germany as France, England grind out wins SPORT Page 2 HORSE RACING / QATAR GOLD SWORD & TROPHY DAY Tayf leads Umm Qarn, De Mieulle charge on big day Trainer saddles five winners, while Ronan Thomas wins four; Mountain-trained Seeyoubyme wins Thoroughbred feature By Mikhil Bhat Doha lban de Mieulle strengthened his grip on the trainer’s cham- pionship after the vet- Aeran trainer celebrated fi ve win- ners yesterday, including the Qatar Gold Sword (Group 1 PA) winner Tayf, even as the Debo- rah Mountain-saddled Seeyou- byme won his fi rst Group 1 when he topped the Qatar Gold Trophy for Thoroughbreds at Al Rayyan Park yesterday. Qatari jockey Faleh Bugha- naim’s 12th winner this season, Seeyoubyme, comfortably built a gap on the competition to win the 2,200m USD250,000 Thor- oughbred feature by almost three lengths, even as JP Guillambert guided Jassim Ghazali-schooled Pedro Cara to second place fi nish. Abdulla Rashid al-Kubaisi (left) accepts the Qatar Gold Sword on behalf of Umm Qarn from HE Sheikh Thani HE Sheikh Thani bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani applauds as Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik lifts the Qatar Gold The USD250,000 Arabian bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani after Tayf won the Arabian feature at Al Rayyan Park yesterday. Trophy after Seeyoubyme won the Thoroughbred feature yesterday. feature, however, was the per- fect fi nale to an action packed Bu Thaila (Anas al-Seyabi). Won evening as old rivals converged by: 2 ½, 2 ¾, 2 ¼. Time: 1:52.04. on the turf track at Al Rayyan Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban Park once again. The current de Mieulle. His Highness The Amir Sword Race 3: SEALINE SPRINT champion Mon’nia and the Doha TROPHY (T/B three-year-old & Triple Crown winner Ebraz, both older) (1,200m) charges of Julian Smart, were in 1. Taxiwala (Ronan Thomas), 2. the company of a huge De Mieulle Gangland (Carlos Henrique), contingent in the mile-and-a- 3. Zyzzyva (Anas al-Seyabi), 4. quarter (2,000m) aff air. Izzthatright (Marco Casamento). A little more than two minutes Won by: 5 ½, ½, 2. Time: 1:08.46. later, Ronan Thomas and Umm Owner: Osama Omer al-Dafea. Qarn’s Tayf held an advantage on Trainer: Osama Omer al-Dafea. Tomas Lukasek-ridden Mon’nia Race 4: AL WAJBA TROPHY and Alberto Sanna-helmed Ebraz (Three-year-old T/B owned on the home straight, and while by local individual Qataris) the duo closed the gap it wasn’t (1,850m) enough as the Qatar Arabian World 1. Pom Malpic (Tomas Lukasek), Cup champion won by a length. 2. Devious Company (Soufiane For Thomas, the win was his Saadi), 3. Saqr (Marco fourth of the day, having opened Casamento), 4. US Cliff (Adrie de the card with two winners for the Vries). Won by: ½, Nk, No. Time: colours and De Mieulle, before 1:52.79. Owner: Khalifa bin Sheail guiding a sprint winner for Osa- al-Kuwari. Trainer: Ali Yousuf ma Omer al-Dafea. HE Sheikh Thani bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani presents the trainer’s al-Kubaisi. In the opener, it was the chest- trophy to Alban de Mieulle after Umm Qarn’s Tayf won the Qatar Gold Race 5: QATAR SILVER TROPHY nut fi lly Al Arabie that showed Sword (Group 1 PA) at Al Rayyan Park yesterday. Ronan Thomas rides Tayf to Qatar Gold Sword (Group 1 PA) victory yesterday. PICTURES: Juhaim (Local PA four-year-old & older) her comfort with shorter dis- (1,600m) tances compared to her last two 1. Sealine (Carlos Henrique), 2,000m-plus starts when Tho- 2. Aahil (Ronan Thomas), 3. mas guided the four-year-old to Lekhraib (Marco Casamento), more than three lengths victory 4. Ghannam (Alberto Sanna). in a seven-furlong Purebred Ara- Won by: Nk, 4 ¾, ½. Time: 1:42.24. bian maiden. Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban Half an hour later, the in-form de Mieulle. Equinoxe improved his strike Race 6: QATAR SILVER SWORD rate, registering his fourth win (Four-year-old PA) (1,850m) from eight races when he landed 1. Sir Monlau (Soufiane Saadi), the 1,850m Local Thoroughbreds 2. Tarek Du Soleil (Faleh aff air. Bughanaim), 3. Djafar (JP Thomas completed a hat-trick Guillambert), 4. First Classs in the very next race when al- (Alberto Sanna). Won by: 1 ¼, Dafea’s Taxiwala put up a spec- 1 ¾, No. Time: 2:00.67. Owner: tacular run on the home straight Mohamed bin Hamad Khalifa al- to top the Sealine Sprint Trophy, Attiyah. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle. adding to the Group 3 Dukhan Race 7: QATAR GOLD TROPHY Sprint and Al Shaqab Racing (QA Gr1) (Far Bend) (Four-year- Trophy in February. old & older T/B) (2,200m) The two other winners for De 1. Seeyoubyme (Faleh Bughanaim), Mieulle were Umm Qarn’s Sea- 2. Pedro Cara (JP Guillambert), 3. line, who led a sweep of the top two Pazeer (Alberto Sanna), 4. Aspetar spots in the Qatar Silver Trophy for (Tomas Lukasek). Won by: 2 ¾, ¼, four-year-old and older local Ara- ½. Time: 2:15.57. Owner: Hassan Ali bians, and Mohamed bin Hamad al-Abdulmalik. Trainer: Deborah Khalifa al-Attiyah’s Sir Monlau in Mountain. the Qatar Silver Sword. HE Sheikh Thani bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani presents the trainer’s Race 8: QATAR GOLD SWORD Carlos Henrique was astride trophy to Deborah Mountain after Hassan Ali al-Abdulmalik’s (Gr1 PA) (Far Bend) (Four-year- Sealine in the mile-long Qatar Seeyoubyme won the Qatar Gold Trophy (QA Group 1) yesterday. Faleh Bughanaim rides Seeyoubyme to Qatar Gold Trophy (QA Group 1) yesterday. old & older PA) (2,000m) Silver Trophy and they edged out 1. Tayf (Ronan Thomas), 2. Thomas and his partner Aahil by a leil by a little more than a length 1,850m run for three-year-old ahead of Mohamed Ghazali- 1. Al Arabie (Ronan Thomas), Trainer: Alban de Mieulle. Mon’nia (Tomas Lukasek), 3. mere neck to win a fantastic duel. for his fi rst victory in Qatar. Thoroughbreds owned by local schooled Devious Company. 2. Rammah (Soufiane Saadi), 3. Race 2: LOCAL Ebraz (Alberto Sanna), 4. Al Sir Monlau was under Soufi ane Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari’s Individual Qataris. Tamih (Rashid Ali al-Marri), 4. THOROUGHBREDS (1,850m) Naama (Soufiane Saadi). Won by: Saadi in the 1,850m run for four- Pom Malpic landed the Al Wa- Tomas Lukasek rode the Ali RESULTS Guyloud De Carrere (Meteb Ali 1. Equinoxe (Ronan Thomas), 2. 1, Nk, 4 ¾. Time: 2:08.57. Owner: year-old Arabians when he beat jba Trophy leading a one-two for Yousuf al-Kubaisi trained fi lly Race 1: PUREBRED ARABIAN al-Marri). Won by: 3 ¼, 2 ½, 2. Al Lusail (Alberto Sanna), 3. Black Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Bughanaim-ridden Tarek Du So- the colours in the process in the to a fantastic half-a-length win MAIDEN PLATE (1,400m) Time: 1:29.62. Owner: Umm Qarn. Pearl (Soufiane Saadi), 4. Shaman Mieulle. Gulf Times 2 Friday, April 2, 2021 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS FOCUS Africa Cup of Nations North Macedonia shock to kick off on Jan 9 in Germany as France, Cameroon AFP Johannesburg he Africa Cup of Na- tions tournament will be staged in Cameroon England grind out wins from January 9 to Febru- Tary 6 next year, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) offi cial Germany are level alongside North Macedonia in a section led surprisingly by Armenia confi rmed yesterday. A virtual executive commit- AFP tee meeting chaired by recently Paris elected president Patrice Mot- sepe from South Africa also de- cided that a draw to divide the 24 ermany suff ered a stunning 2-1 qualifi ers into six groups will be home loss to North Macedonia held on June 25. in World Cup qualifying on Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cam- Wednesday night, while de- eroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Gfending champions France edged Bosnia Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethi- and Herzegovina 1-0 and England beat a opia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Poland side missing the injured Robert Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Lewandowski. Coast, Malawi, Mali, Maurita- Napoli midfi elder Eljif Elmas secured nia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, a famous victory for North Macedonia Sudan, Tunisia and Zimbabwe in Duisburg, scoring fi ve minutes from have qualifi ed. time to give his country a second win The remaining place rests be- from three Group J matches. Veteran tween Benin and Sierra Leone, striker Goran Pandev, 37, put the visi- whose fi xture in Freetown this tors in front just before half-time but week did not take place because Ilkay Gundogan levelled from the spot the visitors challenged Covid-19 after Leroy Sane was fouled in the area. results after fi ve of their key Timo Werner missed a glorious players tested positive. chance after coming off the bench, and A CAF statement said the Elmas condemned the four-time world match had been rearranged for champions to a fi rst defeat in qualify- the May 31-June 15 international ing for the global showpiece since 2001 window, following which Si- when he steered in a cut-back from Ari- erra Leone launched an appeal jan Ademi. “I don’t know how to explain against that decision. it. It’s not easy to do. We knew that we Sierra Leone trail Benin by couldn’t underestimate the opponent three points in Group L and must and I don’t think we did that.