4 October 2020
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, October 4, 2020, ParisLongchamp. - The eight-year-old Tayf (Amer) was one of the most experienced campaigners in the field, but success in the Qatar Arabian World Cup had previously eluded him. On this occasion, he was making his fifth appearance in the world championship of Purebred Arabian (PA) racing. He landed the spoils under jockey Olivier Peslier and for trainer Thomas Fourcy - who won all the big races for the PA breed during the course of the Arc weekend – in the colours of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Tayf raced in mid-division before going on the offensive in the open stretch, as Messi (Dahess)
tried to give his rivals the slip. He clawed back the leader inch by inch. Ebraz (Amer), the favourite and defending champion, had to settle for third, having been unable to unleash his habitual finishing kick on this occasion.
What they said
- Thomas Fourcy (the trainer of Tayf, 1st)
“I had won this race on two previous occasions with Al Mourtajez, who was a genuine crack performer. However, with Tayf it’s different. Alban de Mieulle and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani decided to send me the horse to train, and it hasn’t been simple due to the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. I would like to thank them for placing their trust in me. My job has consisted up in getting the horse into condition, but, above all, to get him in the right frame of mind. Olivier Peslier rode a peach of a race. Ebraz kept him up to his task in the closing stages. The horse will be returning to the Qatar stable of Alban de Mieulle in a few weeks time. I imagine that he will be aimed at the Emir’s Sword.”
- Olivier Peslier (the jockey of Tayf, 1st)
“It’s not so much a case of magic Peslier but magic Fourcy ! The horse had previously won on this type of ground, and so I was confident. Last time out at Goodwood, he was in need of the race after a lay off. He really hit his stride today. Judged by the way he was responding to the cut and thrust of the race, I said to myself “things are going well.”
- Timo Keersmaekers (the trainer of Messi, 2nd)
“We’re thrilled by the effort of Messi. He ran very well. He was in a bit better condition than in the post-race period following the Qatar Cup. Our training facilities aren’t all they should be, and this isn’t ideal when it comes to training a horse of this calibre. However, I’ve managed to get by. My job entails a lot of travelling abroad and so the horse has been in the care of other trainers. So the horse didn’t travel a great deal. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis, I’ve had to stay home. Consequently, I’ve been able to dedicate more time to training the horse, having given him a lot of my attention. The efforts have been considerable and we’re delighted with the way he ran. We recently received an invitation to race him in Abu Dhabi. We’re going to mull matters over before deciding whether to make the trip.”
- Julian Smart (the trainer of Ebraz, 3rd)
“The ground is desperate. Despite this, he was striding out well during the well the race, and Maxime Guyon felt he was travelling well. However, he couldn’t unleash his trademark turn of foot. This was perhaps down to the ground. The plan is for him to head to Qatar.”