Fatack Al Shahania (Burning Sand x Fiha) enhanced his growing reputation in the fifth race on the card, the Gulf Cup for Purebred Arabians bred in the GCC over 1600m, Class 1, contested by 13 runners. The five-year-old grey, carrying the colours of H.E. Sheikha Yasmeen bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Thani and trained by Rudy Nerbonne, recorded his third win from six starts and maintained his record of never finishing outside the first two, sweeping from the rear to prevail by a quarter of a length under Lukas Delozier. AJS Kabul (AF AlBahar) raced prominently throughout in second before striking the front on entering the home straight and looking the likely winner while Arman (Amer) travelled in midfield and tracked the pace without urgency. Fatack Al Shahania was held up at the rear through the early and middle stages, conserving energy as the tempo unfolded ahead of him. In the straight, AJS Kabul pressed on and briefly asserted, but Fatack Al Shahania produced a sharp burst in the concluding stages, sweeping past the leaders in the final strides to snatch victory close home. AJS Kabul, owned by Al Jeryan Stud and trained by M.H.K. Al Attiyah, who saddled last year’s winner AJS Jassas (AF AlBahar) in the same colours, raced prominently throughout before taking the lead in the straight and staying on under Oisin Murphy to take second, finishing three lengths ahead of Arman. The latter, representing Wathnan Racing and prepared by Alban de Mieulle, travelled in midfield and closed sharply under James Doyle to secure third, but did not threaten the first two.