Abu Dhabi meet lowers curtain on UAE season

Ed Marnane

The Abu Dhabi Championship (Listed) takes centre stage on the final fixture of the season in the UAE on the eight-race card at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club on Saturday.

A double at Al Ain on Thursday has secured Silvestre de Sousa his first UAE jockeys’ championship, five days after steering Dubai Future, trained by Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin, to victory in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan.

De Sousa rides the admirable Daramethos in Saturday’s showpiece, over 2200m, for trainer Julio Olascoaga and the seven-year-old holds sound claims of rounding off the season in style and taking his career tally to four.

He is seeking another big prize at the track, having taken out the National Day Cup last December. By Sea The Stars, Daramethos is classy and versatile performer. He is equally effective on dirt, winning the Jebel Ali Stakes (Listed) last season.

Daramethos, who has been given a light campaign and restricted to just four appearances this winter, never threatened in the Jebel Ali Mile (Group 3) last month. He endured a tough trip from his wide draw and was beaten seven lengths by the winner Saayedd.

In the circumstances, he wasn’t disgraced and the performance deserves to be upgraded.

The winner, trained by Michael Costa, renews rivalry and riding arrangements suggest he is the stable’s main hope of their three runners under the talented Ray Dawson, who is making the trip from Britain to the Middle East to ride the Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum-owned gelding.

Saayedd, winner of four of his nine races, commands obvious respect, despite having never raced on turf. He’s nicely drawn in stall six and looks to end the season in style for Costa, whose dreams of a first trainers’ title were shattered at Al Ain when Musabbeh Al Mheiri sent out three winners to secure the championship on Thursday.

Bhupat Seemar has a good record in the Abu Dhabi Championship, winning two of the last three renewals. He saddles four runners and Sense Of Wisdom, the lowest rated of the quartet, is the surprising choice of stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea.

Lightly raced Shamardal gelding wasn’t beaten far in a competitive 16-runner handicap at Meydan at the beginning of March. He needs to take a big step forward stepping up in grade but should enjoy a ground-saving trip breaking from stall No 2, a bonus round the tight turns of the Abu Dhabi Turf Club.

It has been a quiet season for Fawzi Naas, the Bahraini trainer has only sent out one winner from 53 runners and saddles Qaader, the highest rated runner in the field. He made a respectable UAE debut in the Jebel Ali Stakes, only weakening in the closing stages to finish less than four lengths behind Saayedd. He will appreciate the switch to turf and should not be overlooked.

Ernst Oertel has enjoyed a fine season, with 36 wins and will finish the season in third place in the trainers’ table, a terrific achievement for the South African and his team. He runs the highly progressive Classic City, arguably the most improved horse in training in the Emirates this season.

He has won three of his last four starts and has soared in the ratings, from a lowly 67 to 93. He will need to find further improvement stepping up in grade at track he is 0-2.

The pick of the undercard is the Arabian Triple Crown R3, over 2200m for four-year-olds. So’ud, trained by Majed Al Jahoori for owner-breeders Yas Racing, is aiming to follow up his win in R2 under Silvestre de Sousa. He is undefeated at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club and will take plenty of stopping.

Race 4, the local-bred Arabian conditions race, has attracted a big field, understandable with a decent purse up for grabs. In a cracking contest the Abu Dhabi Racing-owned Af Yatwy, Bassam Al Wathba and Al Laith, the mount of Tadhg O’Shea who endured a miserable with the defeats of the fancied Tuz and Imperial Emperor on the Dubai World Cup card seven days ago, are the ones to focus on.

Preference is for Al Laith based on his good second behind Djafar at Group 2 level at Meydan last time. Rated 115, he has an eye-catching record on turf, winning six of his nine races and should take advantage of the drop in class here.

The finale, the 1600m handicap for thoroughbreds, is the most competitive race on the card and five of the 16 runners are last-start winners.

Costa holds a strong hand and recent Meydan scorer Molaqab makes most appeal of his five runners and gets the vote to add a third career success in the hands of Ray Dawson for his main employer, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, in the UAE. The lightly raced son of Zoustar hasn’t had much racing this racing and comes here a fresh horse, unlike many of rivals.

SELECTIONS

Race 1

9 NAAJEEB 10 UNLIMITED 11 RB BOUJEE 1 AARIF

Race 2

10 NASHWAAN 11 ZAAEEM 7 DURAT AL KAMAL 6 AF KAHAYLAN

Race 3

14 MH LAYALY 10 ES FAYEZ 5 JAMRA SB 8 AF ALFAHEM

Race 4

2 AL LAITH 5 BASSAM AL WATHBA 1 AF YATWAY 3 JAP ABEYA

Race 5

1 HAWAFEZ 2 MAIMOUN RS 10 AF ATAB 12 AF ALHAZEM

Race 6

1 SO’UD 6 JALLAB 2 AB SACAR 5 GHAZY

Race 7

1 DARAMETHOS 2 SAAYEDD 8 QAADER 9 REMORSE

Race 8

6 MOLAQAB 8 EYE ON THE PRIZE 11 TAFREEJ 9 EXPERT CHOICE

Best Bet: 1 Daramethos [Race 7]

Best Value: 11 Tafreej [Race 8]

Best Swinger: 14 Mh Layaly and 10 Es Fayez [Race 3]

JACKPOT

(Races 5-8)

R96

Leg 1: 1, 2, 10, 12

Leg 2: 1, 6

Leg 3: 1, 2, 8

Leg 4: 6, 8, 9, 11