THE Jebel Ali standing dish Muarrab showed that he can bring his best form elsewhere with an emphatic victory in the six-furlong Listed Garhoud Sprint at Meydan on Thursday evening.

A winner eight times at Jebel Ali, the son of Oasis Dream led home a 1-2-3 for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum with Rafeej, winner of this race in both 2013 and 2014, chasing him home. The all the way winner pleased winning rider Paul Hanagan. “He is a horse we have always had massive hopes for and I have won plenty of races on him. Hopefully he is a Dubai Golden Shaheen horse at the end of the season, at least that is where we would like to be aiming.”

The winning owner, trainer Erwan Charpy, and jockey also won the only purebred Arabian race on the card, the opening Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah with Manark, who had won both his previous outings at Meydan highlighted by a Dubai World Cup night victory in the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic.

The Teofilo four-year-old Special Fighter was an emphatic winner of the 10-furlong listed race under Fernando Jara. This was his third start in the UAE and a fourth outing for trainer Musabah Al Muhairi as he also won in China in April. He had previously won twice for Mark Johnston. Afterwards Jara said: “He relaxed nicely in the race and then responded when I asked. Hopefully he is a genuine Dubai World Cup Carnival horse.”

The first of the three listed races, the Dubai Creek Mile, turned into a procession. Last year’s fourth, the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Le Bernardin, was soon in front and at halfway had most of his rivals in trouble. Tadhg O’Shea kicked for home on the home straight and never looked likely to be caught. O’Shea said: “It is the first time I have ridden him in a race and I was always happy out in front. It opens up more options now and I think we will be looking at the Al Maktoum Challenge races at the Carnival.”

The 10-furlong maiden saw Satish Seemar supply the winner and third, scoring with the five-year-old Pivotal gelding Piepowder Court under Richard Mullen. Hector Crouch was on the third horse but was later successful on the Seemar-trained Zalzilah who made virtually all in the concluding seven-furlong handicap to provide the trainer with a double.

JEBEL ALI

Jebel Ali was the setting last Friday for an Ali Rashid Al Raihe treble and a Tadhg O’Shea double. The pair combined to win the first two races on the card with two Irish-breds.

The Street Cry gelding Albayan won his second race when capturing the mile handicap before Beachy Head ran out an easy winner of the seven-furlong handicap. This four-year-old Shamardal colt appreciated the drop back to seven furlongs and had six lengths to spare on the line.

Doug Watson’s Shamaal Nibras was attempting to land back-to-back wins in the Derrinstown Stud-sponsored feature, also run over seven furlongs, but he had to settle for second placed behind Musabah Al Muhairi’s Art Wave, a winner a fortnight ago also. Fernando Jara was in the saddle.

Watson had better luck in the next when Just A Penny, formerly with David Marnane and placed at Dundalk, won the six-furlong handicap with Pat Dobbs in the colours of Mohd Khalifa Al Basti. The thee-year-old son of Kodiac is out of the Cape Cross mare Privet.

Al Raihe took up the winn-ing thread when Paul Hanagan was in the saddle on Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Mushaakis in yet another six-furlong handicap, winning for the third time in a row at the course. The Shamardal gelding’s previous wins were over five and seven furlongs.

The topically named Tides Rise landed the mile maiden and this three-year-old American-bred son of Henrythenavigator was formerly with Nicholas Clement in France. Frederick Tylicki won on the Ahmed bin Harmash-trained runner.

WEEKEND

Last weekend saw a single thoroughbred race run at both Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Paul Hanagan and Musabah Al Muhairi won a five-furlong handicap at the former with Dairam, while the Irish-bred Idler, held off two Satish Seemar challengers in a blanket finish to a seven-furlong handicap on turf at Abu Dhabi. The winner, a son of Exceed And Excel, is trained by Ahmad bin Harmash and was ridden by Frederick Tylicki.