RACING at Meydan on New Year’s Day, the first UAE meeting of 2022, featured the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint. The race was turned into a procession by Switzerland who was completing doubles on the card for Irish-born jockey Tadhg O’Shea and trainer Bhupat Seemar.

Run over six furlongs on dirt, the surface on which the whole card was held due to issues with the turf track caused by inclement weather, the blacktype race was contested by a select field of six but, having raced in the rear, O’Shea took aim at the other five leaving the home turn and found a willing partner. They hit the front with about a furlong and half remaining, and the prize was in safekeeping.

The winner, an eight-year-old Speightsown gelding, is owned by RRR Racing, as is the well-beaten runner-up Gladiator King who is also trained by Seemar. It was a seventh career success for Switzerland, and the first since last year’s winning seasonal debut, over the same six-furlong dirt course, in the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes. That was in January and he ran just twice more last season, last time out finishing mid-division in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup night.

Seemar said: “That was very pleasing and we hoped for a good effort because he had been working very well. We have learned a lot about him after just three runs for us last season. Gladiator King has also run a very big race, so we can only be delighted with the result.”

Guineas pointer

THE main support race on the six-race card, all bar two for thoroughbreds after the final scheduled race was abandoned, was the seven-furlong UAE 1000 Guineas Trial for three-year-old fillies. It provided the exciting Shahama with the perfect opportunity to defend her unbeaten record, something that only ever looked in doubt, briefly, when she was short of racing room two furlongs out.

Once extricated early in the straight by Adrie de Vries, the daughter of Munnings quickened up in taking fashion and was soon in control, putting in an effort reminiscent of her breath-taking winning debut, over the same course and distance, three weeks earlier. Trained by Fawzi Nass for KHK Racing, she was an expensive purchase by her trainer last April at Ocala when he signed the docket at $425,000. She has done nothing wrong in two racecourse appearances and the mile of the UAE 1000 Guineas is likely to suit her.

Winning rider de Vries said: “She is a lovely filly and we have always really liked her. She won well first time but improved from that, and, in fairness to her, it was her raw talent that won this tonight because we were struggling for room momentarily. She has a big, long stride and is going to better over further. She will have learned even more this time, and the extra experience will hold her in good stead.”

Persistent rain

THE Al Jaddaf Mile, a one-mile conditions contest for three-year-olds was originally scheduled for the turf, but was switched to dirt after persistent rain.

Just six of the original nine declarations stood their ground and the Rathbarry Stud-bred Conglomerate found it the perfect opportunity to shed his maiden tag at the fourth attempt.

A son of Central Banker, he had shown promise on his three previous outings, all this season, twice at Meydan and more recently at Jebel Ali, but he left those efforts behind with a relatively smooth victory under Tadhg O’Shea.

Owned by Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed, he is trained by Bhupat Seemar.

O’Shea said: “That probably was not a bad little race, so we have to be pleased. We at least knew he would be okay on the dirt, so that was definitely in our favour and things worked out well.”

Also moved from the turf, the 10-furlong Nad Al Sheba Classic, was contested in heavy rain and dominated by Godolphin runners, Desert Peace denying the same owner’s Big Team who looked a forlorn hope early on before finishing off the race strongly. Godolphin’s third runner finished fourth. Sent straight to the front by William Buick, riding for Charlie Appleby, the five-year-old winning son of Curlin only had a neck to spare on the line.

Arabian maidens

THE meeting kicked off with a pair of 1400m purebred Arabian maidens, the first of which developed into a duel throughout the length of the straight with Al Khaleejy and JAP Hadad locked in battle, the lead changing hands on several occasions, before the former stamped her dominance in the final strides.

Raced in Britain by her breeders, Shadwell, the four-year-old filly was making her dirt debut, and her first since being purchased by Naser Askar and sent to Helal Alalawi. She was ridden by Omani apprentice Abdul Aziz Al Balushi.

The second division was not totally dissimilar in that only two horses held any realistic chances entering the final two furlongs, with Baahya and Fakhr the only pair in serious contention. It was the latter, responding gamely to Antonio Fresu, who gained the day for Ibrahim Al Hadhrami and the Omani Royal Cavalry, the homebred five-year-old entire opening his account at the eighth attempt.