Big Orange ‘holds off’ Order of St George in thrilling Gold Cup
Dettori’s advice bears fruit for Dogle at Royal Ascot
ASCOT, UK, June 22, (AFP): Big Orange held off a late charge by defending champion Order of St George to win a thrilling edition of the Gold Cup, the feature race of Royal Ascot, on Thursday.
(Group/Listed) win and we’re extremely lucky to train him.”
The Godolphin and Aidan O’Brien duel for supremacy at the royal meeting saw both parties share the spoils in the opening two races of the card.
O’Brien struck first with Sioux Nation claiming a few prized scalps, as Ryan Moore pushed him out to win the Group Two Norfolk Stakes at the surprisingly long odds for the Irish stable of 14/1.
“He has got pure raw speed and is a big powerful horse. We have always loved him since the day he arrived,” said O’Brien.
However, having got to within one winner, Godolphin hit back in the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes with Benbatl.
He came storming home under Irishman Oisin Murphy to give him his first ever Royal Ascot winner — celebrated in exuberant style by punching the air in delight — and trainer Saeed bin Suroor his first of the week.
Benbatl also boosted his Epsom Derby form having finished fifth in the blue riband of the flat earlier this month.
“It is better than I dreamt about,” said Murphy, referring to breaking his Royal Ascot duck.
“It builds up in your mind and it is good to get it off your back.”
Both Casillas and El-Hadary were received with loud cheer by the crowd of fans who chanted their names throughout the match. Egypt’s Zamalek F.C. player Mahmoud Kahraba and Jahra F.C. player Faisal Zayed as well as Lionel Messi-lookalike Reza from Iran had participated in the dream match.
Even though the match was an entertainment one, both renowned goalkeepers ensured that match would not be an easy one to win for the other team. They both were actively involved in organizing their teams and even encouraging the fans to chant more.
The Zain All-Stars team led by Casillas included Faisal Zayed, Abdullah Al-
(Top & above): Star players receiving plaque from the organizers.
Shamali, Brazilian player Diego, Hamad Hayat, Nasser Al-Alaban and Mohammad Jassem. The Al-Rawdhan Plus team led by El-Hadary included Mahmoud Kahraba, Messi-lookalike Reza, Wael Abdulmuneem, Yousef Al-Khalifa, Brazilian players Marco and Nakolodi and Abdulaziz Ali Marawi.
The appearance of Reza in the tournament came as a surprise to the fans. Many were astonished and amazed by the resemblance of Reza with the Argentinean legend and Barcelona F.C. player Lionel Messi. This got the fans excited to take photos with him whenever they meet him, even in the commercial complexes.
This Messi-lookalike got the opportunity to meet Casillas who also appeared astonished in a video clip which was posed in the tournament’s diwaniya studio and on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the 26th day of the tournament witnessed the surprise exit of the tournament-favorites - the Gulf Cables team – which were defeated by the T-Mass through penalty shootouts that ended with a score of 3-2. The BMW team qualified for the semifinals after defeating Dar Al-Mohammadia team by 6-2.
In the semifinals, the T-Mass team’s hopes for the title were squashed after the late Ahmed Al Roumi Team managed to snatch the victory at the final minute of the game by a goal. The BMW team also were kicked out of the tournament after they were defeated by the team of Kuwait International Bank through penalty shootouts, which ended with a score of 4-3, after the match ended goalless in normal time.
Today, the teams of BMW and the late Ahmed Al Roumi will fight each other for the title of the tournament.