Ed Marnane
Having ridden 15 winners in February, former British champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa has emerged as Tadhg O’Shea’s biggest threat for a 13th UAE title approaching the final weeks of the season.
De Sousa, who won the Al Ain Derby on Sunday, the highlight of a treble at the track, heads to the Abu Dhabi Turf Club on Friday with a decent book of rides as he looks to continue his terrific season in the Emirates.
The Brazilian rides the long-standing maiden Split The Profit in the 1200m handicap, race 6. In a weak race, seven of the 11 winners are maidens, the Salman Al Sabri-trained four-year-old holds strong claims on his Abu Dhabi Turf Club debut. He has progressed since sent sprinting and his recent fifth behind Markakol in a big field at Meydan was a solid effort.
Tajdif, the mount of Oscar Chavez, makes a quick reappearance, six days after finishing a respectable fourth behind the progressive Tawalla. The winner, trained by Michael Costa, has thrived this season and is one of the most improved horses in training in the UAE. By Invincible Spirit, Tajdif won’t have to improve too much in a modest handicap to finally open his account at the 13th time of asking.
Racing kicks off with a 2200m handicap for Arabians rated 0-85. French import Baal D Bouissou, now under the care of the in-form Musabbeh Al Mheiri is an interesting runner on his first start in the Middle East. He is very unexposed and a mark of 85 on his handicap debut looks fair, based on the form he showed in three runs last year for former trainer Francois Rohaut.
Helal Alalawi, fresh from winning the Mneefah Cup (Group 1) with stable star Rb Kingmaker in Saudi Arabia, saddles Rb Bestevah, a first ride for Adrie de Vries after a spell on the sidelines following a fall at Meydan last month.
A winner over the track, 13 months ago, he ran well behind Sama Al Izz and is open to improvement stepping up in distance. In an open-looking event, Falak Almakarim is one to consider under Conor Beasley, who steered Golden Vekoma to victory in the Saudi Derby on Saturday.
Af Mouhayer, trained by Ernst Oertel, has been firmly knocking on the door lately and makes plenty of appeal. Drawn next to the rails, he should enjoy a ground-saving trip under Tadhg O’Shea.
Race 3, the 1600m maiden for local-bred Arabians, has a drawn a full field of 16, in which seven are having their first start in public. In a trappy race, the unraced Safiha Aw gets a tentative vote under Silvestre de Sousa for trainer Majed Al Jahoori. She showed promise in a barrier trial at Meydan in late January.
Of the rest, Al Afyah is likely to give a good account under apprentice Marcelino Rodrigues on his belated racecourse debut. The seven-year-old is unbeaten in two barrier trials, both at Jebel Ali and if transferring that form to turf, he should go well from a good draw.
Race 7, the second maiden and the final race on the card, looks a good opportunity for Cabrit in a race that not many make strong appeal. Trained by Bhupat Seemar for owner Naser Asker, the son of Kingman has done little wrong in his last two starts, finishing second twice at Jebel Ali. Bred by Juddmonte Farms, he is very unexposed on turf and will be hard to beat in the hands of Tadhg O’Shea, who was soundly beaten aboard Walk Of Stars in a thrilling renewal of the Saudi Cup six days ago.
Michael Costa, who has sent out six winners at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club this season, has booked Ray Dawson to ride the New Zealand-bred Ghaaleb, a gelding that has been frustrating for punters having been beaten favourite in half of his eight races. He is closely matched with Cabrit on their recent running at Jebel Ali last month and from a good draw, he commands plenty of respect.
The fourth race, the most valuable on the programme, is an Arabian handicap over a mile and the veteran Af Alareeq is chasing a hat-trick of wins at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club. He has climbed in the ratings and is vulnerable conceding weight to his 15 rivals.
Barjah is at the top of his game, winning his last two races, the most recent when making all at Al Ain. Trained by Khalifia Al Neyadi, he looks capable of defying another rise in the ratings and recording his third win in the Capital.
Mh Layaly, a lightly raced four-year-old, warrants consideration on her handicap debut. She caught the eye when staying on strongly in the closing stages having suffering a troubled passage to finish less than three lengths behind Af Saqara in the Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic, over a distance of 1400m. She will appreciate going up to 1600m and her opening rating of 75 looks fair.
Best Bet: 8 Tajdif [Race 7]
Best Value: 14 Mh Layaly [Race 4]
Best Swinger: 1 Baal D Bouissou and 9 Rb Bestevah [Race 1]
JACKPOT
Races 4-7
R64
Leg 1: 1, 2, 6, 14
Leg 2: 4, 5, 7, 8
Leg 3: 7, 8
Leg 4: 2, 6