Horse Racing News Update: Al Hakeem Gears Up for Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club Showdown
Deauville, France – Al Hakeem, the five-year-old owned by Al Shaqab Racing, is set to compete in the prestigious Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville this Sunday. The horse, trained by the esteemed Jean-Claude Rouget, is eyeing another shot at the coveted Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe later in the autumn.
In his previous attempt at Europe’s middle-distance contest, Al Hakeem finished a commendable fourth, just shy of three lengths off the winner. An injury suffered in the subsequent Prix d’Harcourt kept the son of Siyouni sidelined for over a year, but he made a brilliant comeback in June, finishing second at ParisLongchamp in La Coupe.
“The Gontaut-Biron is the plan and it is funny as since he came into training that was a race we were looking at for his programme for the simple reason that he’s obviously trained in Deauville and for a lot of Jean-Claude’s top-class horses, Deauville is part of the programme in the summer.” – Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, Al Shaqab’s French racing consultant
Connections have been careful in spacing out Al Hakeem’s races, following Rouget’s proven training methods. Pritchard-Gordon noted, “We’ve spaced his races as Jean-Claude has always done with him in the past and he has had time to get over that last run which was after a lengthy absence.”
Potential Return to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s Group Three event, Al Hakeem’s connections will make plans for the autumn, including a potential return to the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Pritchard-Gordon stated, “Depending how he runs we will make a plan (for the autumn). With the issue he had it is very much one race at a time but you have to be thinking of October as well and this race fits in well.”
Fans of horse racing eagerly await the performance of Al Hakeem in the Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club, as connections dream of another shot at the coveted Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
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