Santa Anita
Royal Albert Hall following money to Qatar
Keeneland/Coady Photography Royal Albert Hall could get his first stakes win in Sunday's Charles Whittingham.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Royal Albert Hall, who was third in the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland last April, will start in the $1 million Emir’s Trophy in Qatar on Feb. 25, trainer Doug O’Neill said on Sunday.
The Emir’s Trophy is run at 1 1/2 miles on turf and is worth $570,000 to the winner. The race is part of a weekend of rich stakes for Thoroughbreds and Arabians in Doha, Qatar. The Qatar season runs from late November to early April.
A 5-year-old gelding by Royal Applause, Royal Albert Hall has won 2 of 22 starts and earned $234,233. Owned by Steven Keh, Scott Knight, Mike Ryan, and Mark Verge, Royal Albert Hall was third in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on Jan. 2.
O’Neill said Alan Garcia will ride Royal Albert Hall.