FOR many years the UAE season ended with Dubai World Cup night, but this has changed in recent times.

This year the final meeting at the UAE’s flagship racecourse, and penultimate fixture of the whole campaign, took placed last Thursday week. It was highlighted by the Zabeel Trophy, won in taking fashion by Alfareeq.

A mile rated conditions race on turf, it appeared wide open on paper. As it transpired, very few were ever able to really get involved. With a furlong to race Ajwad was challenged by the winner and eventual runner-up Seniority, who then had the race between them.

Antonio Fresu’s mount Alfareeq pulled clear in the final half a furlong, crossing the line almost a length to the good.

The Shadwell homebred, a four-year-old Dark Angel gelding, won once previously in France for Freddy Head. Fresu said: “He ran really well last time when second at Jebel Ali behind a smart horse. Obviously that was on dirt and we came here hoping for another big run back on turf. I was always going well and he then picked up smartly when I asked before battling on well. It was a good performance in a decent contest.”

Earlier, a six-furlong turf handicap proved something of a benefit for horses in the Shadwell colours, the famous blue and white silks filling the first four places home. It was again Fresu, wearing a pink cap, who produced Mutaraffa in virtually the last stride to land the spoils, denying stablemate Alkaraama. Both are trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri.

The trainer and jockey completed a treble in the longest race on the card, a mile and a half turf handicap, with a victory for Good Tidings, this time denying Shadwell whose Al Qaqaa was second.

The race developed into a duel throughout the final two furlongs when Fresu’s mount went to the lead, but the runner-up refused to buckle. However, as the line approached, Good Tidings was just about on top.

Dark Angel double

The opening seven-furlong turf maiden went to Mcmanaman, ridden by Sam Hitchcott for Al Rashid Stables and Doug Watson. The three-year-old Dark Angel colt eased into contention halfway up the long Meydan turf straight before hitting the front inside the final half a furlong. Raced four times when trained by Richard Fahey, he finished third in the Listed National Stakes last July, and was then sold for 22,000gns at Tattersalls in October.

Watson said: “We expected a good run because he has been training great. We had intended to run him a month ago, but we had a paperwork issue. His form in England was good, so we knew the ability and potential was there.”

Jockey and trainer immediately celebrated a double after the smooth success of Shadwell’s Bawaasil in a seven-furlong turf handicap. Hitchcott was nearer last than first as the capacity field of 16 entered the final furlong and a half. He made a beeline for the far side rail and the pair swept past all his rivals to hit the front about half a furlong from the line.

A homebred six-year-old gelding by Oasis Dream, Bawaasil’s only previous success was posted in September 2018 over a mile at Bath when trained by Owen Burrows. This was a first UAE winner to race in the name of Shadwell after the death of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Dirt races

One of a pair of dirt races, the nine and a half-furlong conditions race for three-year-olds was turned into a procession by Rare Ninja. Smartly away under Royston Ffrench, the Distorted Humor colt, a maiden after eight attempts, was soon in front.

At halfway he appeared the likely winner, with most of his rivals already beaten or seemingly struggling. The pair won for trainer Salem bin Ghadayer and provided owners Ecurie Ama Zingteam with a first UAE winner in their debut season.

Also on dirt, the seven-furlong handicap was totally dominated by Bochart, who was sent straight to the front by Fabrice Veron and left their eight toiling rivals. Saddled by Satish Seemar for the Al Bait Mutawahed Team, the eight-year-old Dubawi gelding has now won seven times for connections.

The concluding 10-furlong turf handicap went to Zorion ridden by Omani apprentice Abdul Aziz Al Balushi in the silks of Abdallah Al Mamari for trainer Helal Al Alawi. The winner is a seven-year-old son of Smart Strike.

O’Shea claims eighth championship with landmark win

THE final fixture of the Abu Dhabi season on April 4th was highlighted by the Group 3 Arabian Triple Crown R3, and the four-year-old Ottoman replicated his success in the second round.

The curtain-raiser was a six-furlong maiden with a capacity field of 14, but only two ever mattered, with Bigorre and AF Asham vying for the lead throughout.

The latter, a four-year-old colt making his debut, grabbed the initiative shortly after halfway and galloped on gamely, all the time responding to the urgings of Tadhg O’Shea, riding for his main employer Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda and the owner’s principal trainer Ernst Oertel.

Double success

Connections were soon celebrating a double after the smooth success of AF Alajaj in a mile handicap for horses in private ownership. O’Shea had seven runners to choose from representing owner Al Nabooda and trainer Oertel, and picked the right one. The improving AF Alajaj has now won three of his four starts, twice on the Abu Dhabi turf and once on the Al Ain dirt.

For O’Shea it was an unprecedented landmark UAE winner. He said: “Wow, 600, that is amazing, but as I always say, I have the easy job and just steer them around in a race. It is all the team behind the horses who do all the hard work. Now I am riding mainly for Ernst and his team. Karl, his brother back at the farm, does so much good work and all the staff. I have a great job riding for Mr Al Nabooda. This is an exciting horse, both on turf and dirt. I think he has a big race prize in him.”

Curtain down

The curtain came down on the season in the capital with the only thoroughbred race on the card, a mile handicap. Zaman landed the spoils, flying home under Fernando Jara to snatch the prize for Ahmad bin Harmash and owner Abdullah Menahi.

A six-year-old gelded son of Dutch Art, it was a fourth career success for the winner. His previous victory was in the Listed Meydan Classic in March 2018.

The previous day Sharjah’s season drew to a close and the only thoroughbred race on the card, a handicap over a mile and half a furlong, drew a capacity field of 16. Falcon Claws, ridden by Szczepan Mazur for Doug Watson, ran out the emphatic winner. The four-year-old gelded son of Union Rags was previously a maiden after 13 starts.

Curtain falls on

the UAE season

HAVING staged the first meeting of the season back in October, Al Ain also hosted the final fixture of the UAE season last Friday week.

Tadhg O’Shea and Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda had long been confirmed as UAE champion jockey and owner respectively, but it was only after the fifth of seven races on the evening that Doug Watson was confirmed as the champion trainer after an epic battle with Ernst Oertel.

The only thoroughbred race was a 10-furlong handicap on the dirt and O’Shea completed a double on the card with the emphatic success of Dubai Canal for trainer Satish Seemar and owner Ailan Hamad Kadfoor Al Mehairi.

O’Shea settled the five-year-old Nayef entire in fourth before asking him to close on the trio in front of him as they entered the long Al Ain straight. The pair defied top weight in good style.

Only raced in the UAE, Dubai Canal was doubling his career tally, having previously won a mile maiden on the Abu Dhabi turf last January. He arrived here after a close second, over seven furlongs, on his Al Ain debut recently.

O’Shea said: “He ran very well here the last day and would likely have won over another 50 metres. We always though this 10 furlongs here on a flat track would really suit him and it has. It has been a great season and it is obviously nice to sign off with a double.”

Champion trainer

American Doug Watson clinched a record seventh UAE champion trainer title. With 40 victories this season, he has overtaken Satish Seemar who has been champion on six occasions.

Watson finished one better than three-time champion Ernst Oertel who ended up with 39 wins. Watson’s strike rate was 11%, with just over a third of his runners finishing in the money.

“We have such a great team at home, both the owners and the staff,” Watson said. “They have been fantastic. It was tough right down to the wire.” Earlier in the season, a Covid-19 outbreak affected operations at Watson’s yard, preventing him from competing in four meetings, and unable to saddle horses in three subsequent meetings.

Highlights of the season included Super Saturday victories in the Group 3 Mahaab Al Shimaal with HH Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s Canvassed, and the Group 3 Burj Nahaar with The Cool Silk Partnership’s Midnight Sands.

second in the Godolphin Mile, while Canvassed was third in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

“Canvassed coming on so well at the end and running well on World Cup night and getting Midnight Sands back and winning on Super Saturday were both great,” Watson continued. “There were a lot of good highlights through the season.”