RACING at Meydan on December 23rd was the final fixture of 2021 at the UAE’s flagship racecourse. The feature was a quality seven-furlong rated conditions stakes, and Imperial Empire took full advantage of the weight he received from all eight of his rivals to record an impressive victory.

Ridden by Tadhg O’Shea, the Dubawi gelding threw down the gauntlet to the leader, Khuzaam, exiting the home turn before sweeping past that rival, who eventually finished third, entering the final furlong and a half. Once in front, the pair were never going to be denied.

A winner once in Britain for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, this was a third UAE success for the gelding who is now trained by Bhupat Seemar for Al Rashid Stables. Imperial Empire has now won both his outings this season, having landed a handicap over this course and distance five weeks earlier.

O’Shea, completing a double for himself and Seemar, said: “That was pretty impressive against some proven older horses, and he has done it well. We had a nice low weight so I was happy to commit for home early to take advantage of that. Everything went to plan and you would like to think this fellow can be competitive at the Carnival next year.”

Next up, just five three-year-olds went to post for the main support race, a mile rated conditions stakes, and Al Nefud could not have made a more taking local and dirt debut, completing trebles on the day for O’Shea and Seemar, as well as a double for owners Al Rashid Stables. The winner had the race in safekeeping at the top of the straight.

Raced three times in Britain by Appleby for Godolphin, the Dubawi gelding finished runner-up on his first two starts, both over 10 furlongs, before being placed again over a mile and a half. All three runs were on all-weather surfaces.

Seemar said: “He had been training very well so we were expecting a big run, but not anything like that which was more than we expected. He is a very big horse and should improve from that. As a son of Dubawi, you always hoped conditions would suit and they did.”

Earlier on the card, a six-furlong maiden for two-year-olds attracted a field of nine, but very few were ever able to land a blow. Summer Is Tomorrow was soon in front under Tadhg O’Shea and, once they kicked clear in the straight, they never looked likely to be caught.

Burke’s victory

Saddled by Seemar for Michael Hilary Burke and Negar Burke, the Summer Front colt made a very pleasing debut when runner-up behind the impressive Taking Names over this course and distance five weeks earlier, but failed to build on that run a fortnight later over seven furlongs. A return to the shorter trip certainly appeared to suit.

Seemar said: “He has a lot of speed and from a wide draw last time things did not really work out for him. He is a speed horse, so we will have to try and find him another race over this kind of trip.”

A seven-furlong handicap went to Uruguay, with Vagner Leal, in the silks of Stud Guara Del Sur, producing the unbeaten Quality Boone to lead close home and deny Island Rules. The winning trainer Antonio Cintra Pereira has a Meydan satellite yard this season at Green Stables.

Uruguay wins

Foaled in Argentina, Quality Boone is a colt by Daniel Moone. He had won his only previous start, a seven-furlong juvenile maiden on the all-weather at Maronas in Uruguay.

He was returning here after 200 days away from competitive action. The winner advertised his UAE 2000 Guineas prospects with this victory. Leal said: “I won on this horse in Uruguay and he is a nice sort who, we hope, is improving and can continue to do so.”

The concluding six-furlong handicap was another race on the card won impressively by a horse making their local and dirt debut, in this case Meraas. He made every post a winning one under Antonio Fresu, riding for Musabbah Al Mheiri and was a first winner, with just his second runner, for owner Maitha Salem Mohd Belobaida Alsuwaidi.

The British-bred son of Oasis Dream was a three-time winner in 2020 when trained by Mark Johnston.

Classic winner bounces back in style

THE final UAE meeting of 2021, at Jebel Ali on December 24th, was highlighted by a mile rated conditions race. This was turned into a procession by Down On Da Bayou who never saw any of her rivals under a positive ride from Xavier Ziani.

Trained by Salem bin Ghadayer for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the daughter of Super Saver was pretty much in front from the outset before shooting clear halfway up the long straight. The only filly among the seven runners, she was recording a third career success and the first since February 2020 when she won the Group 3 UAE Oaks by a staggering 19 lengths. She bounced back to form in no uncertain terms here.

Ziani said: “She has always had plenty of ability but after her big race win nothing much has gone to plan for her. She went to Saudi Arabia after that win in the Oaks and took a while to get over the trip. She has faced some stiff tasks but, when I found out I was riding her, I was delighted because I was confident she was in great form and would be hard to beat. Luckily I was right!”

The main support race, a seven-furlong conditions contest for three-year-olds, produced something of a surprise winner in the shape of Desert Wisdom. He looks a useful recruit for his connections.

A Dubawi gelding, Desert Wisdom ran twice on the turf for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, well beaten on both occasions, before being sold at Meydan in September for what may prove a bargain AED70,000, approximately €17,000. This dirt debut was his first appearance for Ahmed Al Shemaili and in the colours of Hassan Saleh Al Hammadi. Bernardo Pinheiro was in the saddle.

The winning rider said: “I have ridden the horse in work at Sharjah and he always seemed like a nice horse but, to be honest, that was a very nice surprise as it was a good race.”

The final race of 2021 in the UAE, a handicap over nine furlongs, was decided in the very last strides when Pinheiro delivered Capla Crusader to win for Rashed Bouresly and the Bouresly Racing Syndicate. The winner is a son of Archipenko.

Juvenile opener

Nine juveniles contested the opening seven-furlong maiden, but from about a furlong and a half out only one mattered after Violent Justice shot clear under Pat Dobbs, sporting the silks of Al Rashid Stables for the jockey’s main local employer, trainer Doug Watson.

The Violence colt picked up well when asked from halfway and proved far too good for eight rivals. Sixth, but beaten less than five lengths on his debut at Meydan, also over seven furlongs three weeks earlier, Violent Justice had clearly benefitted from that initial racecourse experience.

Watson said: “He is a horse we have always quite liked and we were keen to bring him here to Jebel Ali for the straight track to give him more racing room. He ran well enough at Meydan first time but this was a big step up on that and we are very pleased.”

The American-born Watson completed a double an hour later when saddling the first two home in a six-furlong handicap, Shadwell’s Fawaareq holding off the persistent challenge of stablemate Dangerous Thought throughout the final furlong. Sam Hitchcott was in the saddle on the winner. Turning nine just days later, the homebred gelded son of Invincible Spirit had won three times in Britain for Owen Burrows, most recently in July 2016. This was his 17th start in the UAE.

Delighted

Watson said: “They have both run really well and we have to be delighted with that. Fawaareq has been with us a while now but always trained well and we were pretty hopeful dropping back to six furlong would see him get his head back in front. And it has!”

Restricted to three-year-old, the mile maiden was won in style by Rakeez, a fourth winner on the weekend for both Al Rashid Stables and trainer Bhupat Seemar, a third in combination. Confidently ridden by Pat Cosgrave, the gelded son of Dubawi, making his seventh career start and just second locally, had matters under control once hitting the front entering the final half a furlong.

Seemar said: “He is a typical son of Dubawi who is improving with experience and likes the dirt surface. This will probably be his minimum trip and we think he will certainly stay further.”

Irish-bred captures sole thoroughbred contest

THE final turf meeting of 2021 in the UAE, at Abu Dhabi, saw class prevail in the concluding and only thoroughbred contest on the card, a seven-furlong rated condition stakes. The winner, Alfareeq, defied top weight in style under Dane O’Neill for Shadwell and Musabbeh Al Mheiri.

Making his seasonal debut, the four-year-old homebred gelded son of Dark Angel, out of a Cape Cross mare, was winning for a third time and doubling his local tally having signed off last season, in April, with a mile turf victory at Meydan in the inaugural Zabeel Trophy.

O’Neill said: “That was a really good effort first time back this season and fair play to the team for waiting for this turf opportunity. The President’s Cup back here could be an option, or the Carnival turf races at Meydan.”