Native Approach and Connor Beasley win Al Quoz Sprint
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Sat 28 Mar 2026
Native Approach sprang something of a surprise - albeit a hugely popular one for the UAE-based combination of trainer Ahmad bin Harmash and Connor Beasley - in running down Japanese challenger Lugal inside the final 200 metres.
Native Approach was rated 97 before his previous start but a win over several of today’s rivals in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint saw him re-rated at 109, and the ex-Godolphin inmate took another step forward here in dispatching a high-quality international field.
For Beasley the link up with Bin Harmash has been a huge boost to his career and Native Approach follows on from Dark Saffron’s G1 Golden Shaheen victory in 2025.
Beasley said of his association with Bin Harmash: “This is the eighth season. I came over as a second jockey to him and everything fell into place, right place, right time.
“He’s been a big supporter and put plenty of trust in me. It just shows, when a team clicks, it goes through to the horses too.”
Drawn nearest the standside rail Beasley was denied any cover and forced to do his own thing with a horse he freely admitted is “not easy”.
Beasley said: “He’s a bundle of speed, when I first sat on him at the start of the season I said to the boss that he feels like a sprinter. He puts his heart on his sleeve every morning, he’s not easy.
“When I won on him on Super Saturday, I got a little bit of a tow into the race. Today, there was nothing able to take me so it was one of them, the more you fight with them, the more energy you’ll lose.
“So I just got him in a nice rhythm, I let him slip away from the 400m and once the Japanese horse came to me, he was very determined.”
Hamdan Al Mansoori, racing manager for owner Hamdan Harmash, said: “This is the best day! Ahmad is very good at picking out the right races for his horses.
“After he arrived he was running over longer but he always showed a lot of speed so then he dropped him back to six furlongs [1200 metres].
“Ahmad loves to sit with the jockeys and the owners and make a plan after the race. He came from Godolphin and is an experienced traveller, but we will see [about future targets].”
Lugal emerged from the pack 400 metres from home and looked to have established a race-winning break on his pursuers, but in conditions undoubtedly made more testing by this week’s rain, Beasley timed his finishing effort to a nicety.
Jockey Katsuma Sameshima reflected: “It was a great start and I thought we won!"
Japan’s wait for a first win in the Al Quoz goes on, while Native Approach follows on from Danyah in 2023, the last time the prize stayed at home.
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