Aaneef Zakhir powers to Dibal Cup victory

Doha, Qatar: Aaneef Zakhir returned to winning form with an impressive victory in the Dibal Cup, taking out the 1900m Local Purebred Arabian Handicap...

Doha, Qatar: Aaneef Zakhir returned to winning form with an impressive victory in the Dibal Cup, taking out the 1900m Local Purebred Arabian Handicap as racing resumed at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Monday night following a brief interruption.

The six-year-old bay, owned and trained by Osama Omer Al-Dafea, was expertly ridden by Arnaud de Lepine, who secured his third win of the season.

Aaneef Zakhir was settled near the rear early on as Khaled Al Shahania set the pace, dictating proceedings through the opening and middle stages. Bakir and Burkan Zakhir tracked the leader closely, forming the main chasing group down the back straight.

Approaching the final bend, Aaneef Zakhir began to make steady headway. Turning into the straight, he gathered momentum to move into third behind Bakir and Khaled Al Shahania, while Amersun also produced a strong late run to join the leading contenders. Inside the final 200 metres, Aaneef Zakhir showed determination to surge into the lead and open up a narrow advantage. Bakir continued to challenge, but the eventual winner responded gamely under pressure to hold on at the line.

Bakir, representing Mubarak Ali Al-Nuaimi and trained by Hamad Al-Jehani, finished second under Alberto Sanna, a length and three-quarters clear of Amersun. The latter stayed on well for Wathnan Racing, trainer Alban de Mieulle and jockey Youssef Lachhab to complete the podium.