Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Hakeem gets back to winning ways with Gr 3 title

DOHA: Runner up of the Gr.3 La Coupe on return, the five year old Al Hakeem (Siyouni) went back to the winning enclosure to land the Gr.3 Prix Gontaut...

DOHA: Runner-up of the Gr.3 La Coupe on return, the five-year-old Al Hakeem (Siyouni) went back to the winning enclosure to land the Gr.3 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville yesterday.

Having his second run of the year, the Al Shaqab Racing owned — Al Hakeem missed the rest of 2023 after an injury in the Gr.2 Prix d’Harcourt. The homebred is trained by Jean-Claude Rouget.

Ridden by Cristian Demuro, Al Hakeem traveled in second just ahead of Feed The Flame (Kingman). With Sacaya (The Grey Gatsby) leading at a good pace, the talented horse looked to be in a comfortable rhythm.

Entering the home straight, the son of Siyouni kept on well to win by half a length. Woodchuck (Birchwood) stayed on in second. Elusive Princess (Martinborough) took third.

“They’ve done well to get him back today”, said the winning jockey after the race,