Sheikha Yasmeen’s Mon’nia tough in Criterium success
CARRYING the silks of Her Excellency Sheikha Yasmeen Bint Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, five- year-old purebred Arabian mare Mon’nia
FR Amer x Margouia claimed a third group success when winning the Group 2 A Criterium des ouliches at La Teste de Buch in France on Tuesday.
Mon’nia, winner of the Group 1 HH The Amir Sword in February, is trained by Julian Smart and was ridden to success in the Criterium des
ouliches, a race for fouryear-old and older urebred ARabian fillies and mares over 1900m, by Maxime Guyon.
Quickly out of the stall, she found herself cutting out the running and did so at a steady tempo.
Turning for home the field were tightly grouped, but Mon’nia was soon asked for an effort and began to pull clear of her rivals 400m out. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Artemis FR Azadi x Ocyrrhoe looked threatening for the majority of the run-in and tried to raise an effort against Mon’nia but it was Khalifa bin Sheail Al Kuwari’s Lady rincess FR
General x Nacree Al Maury who got closest at the finish.
One of the first off the bridle, Lady rincess came with a strong run down the outside, but Mon’nia proved resolute and held on to score by a length at the line. Lady rincess finished runner up for trainer Thomas Fourcy and jockey Julien Auge while the Mrs JF Bernard-trained and Olivier eslier-ridden Artemis was two lengths further in third.
Bred by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Al Shahania Stud, Mon’nia is by champion Arabian stallion AMER Wafi and is out of Margouia Tidjani . Margouia is the dam of stallion Assy
Amer , also a winner of the Group 1 HH The Amir Sword and Sharesa Burning Sand a terrific winner of the Group 1 Qatar International Cup.