Giants of the Flat chasing $2.5 million Qatari riches with Gosdens hopeful they hold the key

Thady Gosden is hopeful Israr's recent international experience will be an advantage in Saturday’s $2.5 million HH The Amir Trophy at Al Rayyan racecourse in Qatar.

Excitement in the Middle East is growing as the track prepares to stage its premier fixture, with the three-day HH Amir Sword Festival beginning on Thursday.

A field of 11 are on course to line-up in the feature thoroughbred race, The Amir Trophy, with last year’s scorer Russian Emperor, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Point Lonsdale and Charlie Appleby’s Rebel’s Romance all entered.

Israr arrived in Doha from Bahrain after finishing second to the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer in the Group 2 International Trophy in November.

Along with stablemate Orne, who runs in the $400,000 Al Rayyan Mile on the same card, the Shadwell-owned five-year-old worked on the dirt track on a misty but humid Wednesday morning.

Orne leads Israr through the tunnel onto the infield Al Rayyan racecourseCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

After overseeing the work, Gosden said: "Obviously Israr has travelled before, he was in Bahrain in November, so he’s got into a routine very quickly.

"We’re stepping back up to a mile and a half, but it’s quite a tight and turning track, and it’s level, so hopefully he’ll be able to stay."

Israr has won three times for John and Thady Gosden, including when beating 2021 Derby winner Adayar in the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket in July. Before his second in Bahrain, he filled the same position behind Al Qareem in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge at Ascot in October.

Gosden added: "He ran great in Bahrain. He travelled well through the race but Richard’s horse put in a great performance and ran a big race."

Khalifa International football stadium and The Torch provide a backdrop to Al Rayyan racecourse on a misty morningCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

As the morning mist cleared and the heat increased, the interest on track grew as members of the Qatar-based Al Shaqab Racing team took a keen interest on their runners, which includes two-time winner Orne.

The lightly raced three-year-old has yet to run outside Britain, but Gosden believes he has the ability to perform in the Al Rayyan Mile after success in the Group 3 Horris Hill at Newmarket in November.

He said: "Orne has a great mentality and he’s settled into it all very well. Both him and Israr have worked on the track, they’re moving well and they seem very happy.

"He won the Horris Hill on the softer side, whereas here it should be on quick ground, but he’s a horse who has done well from two to three and hopefully he can run a big race."

James Doyle won't be riding be in Qatar this weekend after taking a fall a couple of weeks ago and will miss his rides for Wathnan Racing, including Soldier's Gold in the Al Rayyan Mlie.

Richard Brown, spokesman for Wathnan Racing, said on Wednesday: "He has done his collarbone and we took the view that it is a relatively quiet time of year, so we wanted to get it right and come back in a few weeks.

"We have some able deputies with William Buck, Oisin Murphy and Mickael Barzalona standing in for him. We have runners in most of the races, but our best chance is Soldier's Gold."

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