SHARJAH

Saturday, November 8th

The only thoroughbred race on Sharjah’s second card of the season last Saturday week, a six-furlong handicap, was won in devastating fashion by Price Is Truth (by Distorted Humor).

Richard Mullen was in the saddle and provided trainer Satish Seemar, with a landmark 650th UAE winner. It was a first win, at the 13th attempt, for the horse who passed the line 13 lengths clear of his field.

ABU DHABI

Sunday, November 9th

There was a tremendous finish to the only thoroughbred race on the card, a mile handicap in which it appeared the 11-year-old Rochdale was going to win for the first time since November 2012.

However, he was headed by a couple of runners in the final strides, with victory going to the David Smith-ridden and Satish Seemar-trained Royal Revival (by King’s Best).

The seven-year-old was winning for the first time since 2010 and had some decent form in France for André Fabre.

JEBEL ALI

Friday, November 14th

The feature at Jebel Ali last Friday, a seven-furlong conditions race sponsored by Derrinstown Stud, provided the ideal opportunity for Encipher (by Elusive Quality) to make a winning seasonal debut, just as he had done 12 months earlier on the same card. The five-year-old is now with Ali Rashid Al Raihe and made all the running under stable jockey, Royston Ffrench. His previous start was a winning one at Muscat and he races in the colours of the Royal Cavalry Oman.

The Satish Seemar-trained Spin Cycle (by Exceed And Excel), winner of the 2011 Jebel Ali Sprint but winless since, remedied that omission in the six-furlong handicap. The winner led until halfway before they were headed for about a furlong. Richard Mullen’s mount regained the initiative near the finish.

“He ran really well last week at Meydan under Marc Monaghan,” said Mullen. “Marc suggested we make more use of him in his races so we were positive from the off today. Fair play to Marc for that tactical insight and he has been proved right. We are a team and Marc is a real team player.” Seemar and Mullen went on to complete a double with the smooth success of Mawhub (by Singspiel) in the concluding nine-furlong handicap.

Oisin Murphy opened his UAE account in a seven-furlong handicap, driving home Momaris (by Dubai Destination) for Dhruba Selvaratnam and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It was a third career and course and distance win for the horse who has only ever won in November and at Jebel Ali.

The Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Art Wave looked certain to make all under apprentice George Buckell in the first of the two 1400m handicaps, only to throw the race away by hanging right, then left in the closing stages. Pat Dobbs and Ostaad (by Marju), trained by Doug Watson, were the beneficiaries of Art Wave’s hanging in the closing stages to land the first of the two seven-furlong handicaps on the card. “He will have needed every yard of that trip,” said Watson. We will probably step him up in trip next time.”

ABU DHABI

Sunday, November 16th

Irishman Oisin Murphy, the 2014 champion apprentice in Britain, wasted no time in doubling his UAE win tally last Sunday with a National Day Cup Prep victory on Master Of War (by Compton Place) over a mile in the day’s feature and only thoroughbred race. He had been in the winner’s circle at Jebel Ali on the previous Friday.

“We have to be delighted with that,” said winning trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam. “We really thought he would need that run, so it is a great result and it was a very good ride from Oisin. We will obviously have to look at the National Day Cup and hopefully he will be a Dubai World Cup Carnival horse next year, especially on the turf.”

MEYDAN

Thursday, November 20th

Satish Seemar and Richard Mullen dominated the Dubai Duty Free meeting on Thursday when they combined to land a sparkling treble.

The highlight was the impressive victory of Price Is Truth (by Distorted Humor) in the six-furlong handicap. Mullen was able to ease his mount down in the final half furlong.

“He won very easily at Sharjah the other day,” said Mullen. “The dirt has proved the key to him.”

A 400-day absence from the racecourse was not enough to prevent Tahaamah (by King’s Best) from making a winning start to his career with Seemar in a 10-furlong handicap.

He has not been seen since winning at Nottingham in October 2013 on heavy ground. The different underfoot conditions at Meydan clearly did not bother him and he was always travelling well. “He has been off a while,” said Mullen. “He should come on for that run and hopefully build on it.”

Mullen was saying virtually the same thing after the following seven-furlong handicap in which he steered the Seemar-trained Satwa Story to a comfortable victory.

He too was having his first start for the yard having left Godolphin but, on this occasion, he was winning after a 438-day break.

“As with the other horse, this was a very nice win” said Mullen. “We had to be hopeful as his work was good and his form in the book was good.”

The Zabeel stable was denied a quartet of winners when Shihab was unable to get past the Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Muhtaram (by Shamardal) under Silvestre de Sousa in the concluding mile handicap.

The official feature on the card was another mile handicap and Le Bernardin (by Bernardini), trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe, was the comfortable winner under stable apprentice Saeed Al Mazrouei. Remarkably, he was another former Godolphin inmate making a first start for a new yard. In this instance it was the horse’s comeback after 630 days.

Al Mazrouei said: “This horse was a Grade 3 winner in America and had been pleasing everyone at home. The dirt was never going to be an issue and the whole yard was pretty confident beforehand.”

The meeting opened with a mile maiden and State Law (by Invincible Spirit), saddled by Doug Watson was driven home by stable jockey, Pat Dobbs. “I probably hit the front too soon,” said Dobbs.

“However, when I asked him he really stuck his head out and stayed on gamely. There should be more to come.”