Nass seeks second Abu Dhabi feature

Ed Marnane

The Listed UAE Arabian Derby is the highlight of racing at Abu Dhabi on Thursday, the final fixture in the UAE capital of 2023. This year’s renewal has drawn a decent field and five of the 11 runners can boast a rating of a hundred and above.

Fawzi Nass, fresh from winning the Group 2 Madjani Stakes with his star Arabian RB Rich Lyke Me, runs RB Stryngs Attached, winner of a maiden at the track last season. Sent off a short price favourite for a minor event on his seasonal reappearance at Abu Dhabi earlier in the month, he ran dismally and weakened rapidly to finish a long way behind Zajer Al Wathab.

The colt, a brother to RB Rich Lyke Me, had an excuse and scoped poorly after the race. He shouldn’t be written off and can easily bounce back under talented Andre de Vries.

Joe Star, the highest ranked runner in the field, takes a big drop in class 14 days after contesting the recent Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown, the world’s richest race for Arabians. Trained by Helal Alalawi, he failed to land a blow and could only beat two home in the Group 1 event. The booking of top French rider Christian Demuro is eye catching, and Joe Star is fancied to leave that modest effort well behind over a course and distance at which he has enjoyed success at Group 3 level.

Nadia du Loup, who began her career in France, has progressed nicely since switched to the UAE, easily winning a minor event on her local debut at Abu Dhabi 12 months ago. She made an encouraging comeback when failing to see off the late challenge of Bahwan in a driving finish. Her performance can be upgraded, as she was heavily bumped by another runner at the start.

She’s entitled to be sharper for the race and clearly merits respect.

Connor Beasley, the UAE’s season’s leading rider, has enjoyed a terrific campaign and is sitting top of the jockeys’ table with an impressive 20 winners, eight clear of Bernardo Pinheiro. He had the choice of Ahmad bin Harmash’s three runners in the juvenile conditions race, the final race. Beasley has chosen to ride Where’s The Wayya, ahead of Aram and the unraced Tohoku in the 1400m contest. By Demarchelier, a son of Dubawi, he never made an impression after an awkward start on his racecourse debut at Jebel Ali last month. The switch to turf should suit and he hails from a yard that traditionally does well with their two-year-olds.

Bhupat Seemar introduces well-bred Point Given, a son of Blue Point who has made a bright start with his first runners this year and has had over 50 winners in Europe. Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, he showed a decent level of ability in three outings. A half-brother to Group 1 winner Toormore, Point Given will be hard to beat and will take plenty of stopping in a modest contest.

Racing gets underway with an Arabian maiden, over 1600m. In a race that has drawn a full field of 16, French import Ammar looks the answer on his local debut for new trainer Majed Al Jahoori.

Owned and bred by Yas Racing, he shaped nicely in two starts in France earlier in the year. He holds leading claims in a race that won’t take much winning.

It has been a very disappointing start to the season for Ernst Oertel. The South African trainer is 1-75 and will look for a major upturn in his fortunes back at Abu Dhabi, a venue he has found plenty of success since arriving in the Emirates. He saddles AF Alhasid, owned and bred by Khalifia Al Nabooda, in the 1600m maiden, restricted to UAE-bred Arabians.

He showed minor promise in a Jebel Ali barrier trial, before producing an encouraging fourth on his racecourse debut in a maiden at Abu Dhabi in mid-November. He left the impression he would improve for the experience and holds sound claims under the in-form Tadhg O’Shea, who rode two winners at Meydan last Friday.

The pick of the two handicaps is Race 3, the 1600m contest for Arabians rated 0-95 with a purse of AED 80,000 (R414,000). Jaber Bittar has booked Charlie Bennett to ride unexposed Unlimited in the 16-runner event and the four-year-old is worth chancing in a competitive event, especially from a good draw in stall five on his handicap debut.

The daughter of Valiant Boy shaped nicely in a maiden at Al Ain last time, her second start of the campaign. She has had two previous runs at Abu Dhabi, the most recent on her final outing of last season when staying on to finish a respectable seventh behind RB Kingmaker in Round Three of the Arabian Triple Crown in March.

BEST BET

Race 1 No 2 Ammar

VALUE BET

Race 3 No 14 Unlimited

BEST SWINGER

Race 6: 2-Point Given and 4-Ramaah

JACKPOT

(Races 3 to 6)

R48

Leg 1: 3, 4, 12, 14

Leg 2: 1, 2, 5, 11

Leg 3: 4, 8, 10

Leg 4: 2