THE growing significance of racing in Qatar was highlighted when the country’s leading trainer Gassim Mohammed Ghazali took home the day’s best-priced lot on Tuesday, paying 310,000gns for the three-year-old Pivotal gelding Cloudberry. A four-time winner in 2016, he was bought to stay in Roger Charlton’s yard at this year’s Tattersalls July Sale for just 15,000gns after winning a maiden at Bath on his second start.

He is unbeaten since and Ghazali was buying in association with Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock. “He is very progressive horse, his win on Friday was a good performance,” said Douglass. “He has gone on good ground, Pivotal’s get better with age and he ticks all the boxes. He came highly recommended by the former connections.”