Satono Glanz third again in H.H. The Amir Trophy; no luck for Ecoro Sieg in Dukhan Sprint

Satono Glanz will have to wait for another day to lift the H.H. The Amir Trophy (G3) after the Japanese horse finished third in the race for a second straight year in Qatar on Sunday (February 16).

Ecoro Sieg, the other entry from the JRA on this afternoon at the H.H. The Amir Sword Festival, came in ninth out of nine in the Dukhan Sprint, the third of eight races on the card.

The highly touted 3-year-old colt trained by Hideyuki Mori was diagnosed with heat stroke following the race.

Satono Glanz, 5, did well all things considered in the G3 affair which again was won by Rebel’s Romance as the 7-year-old gelding did in 2024, pocketing the first-place prize money amounting to US$ 1.425 million.

Due to issues on the turf course at Al Rayyan a day earlier, the stage for Qatari racing’s marquee meet was pushed back by a day and relocated to Al Uqda Equestrian Complex, with the race distance trimmed from 2,400 meters to 2,300m for adjustments.

As the race got under way under unusual circumstances, Satono Glanz traveled in fifth position among a field of eight in his maiden partnership with Belgian rider Christophe Soumillon.

With Rebel’s Romance cutting a pace to his liking, Satono Glanz exercised patience. As the pack round for the final straight, Soumillon gave his mount gave the green light, accelerating for the lead with all his might.

But it was not meant to be for the Satono Diamond-sired horse, trained by the acclaimed Yasuo Tomomichi, as Rebel’s Romance under William Buick ran away with it, showing the class of a seven-time Grade 1 champion.

In the 1,200m Dukhan Sprint, it was an uphill battle throughout for the Taisei Danno-ridden Ecoro Sieg, who dared to take the lead as the gun went off but gradually faded to end up at the bottom of the table.

It was the Twirling Candy son’s second overseas stint following the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November, when he placed eighth in a field of 12 as the first-ever Japanese runner in the race’s history. Christophe Lemaire was in the saddle then.

Rogue Lightning won the Dukhan Sprint with a purse of US$ 400,000.

Washington Heights and Quinault filled out the rest of the podium.

Official Results:
H.H. The Amir Trophy (G3)
Dukhan Sprint

Please visit the following website for more information.
Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC): https://qrec.gov.qa/