THE all blacktype card kicked off with an inspired performance in the nine and a half-furlong Listed Al Bastakiya on dirt by Al Bayraq Stable’s Emblem Storm, who was ridden confidently by Oisin Murphy for trainer Satish Seemar. The trainer also saddled the runner-up Tuz, whose only starts previously had been in Russia.

“He is a very straightforward horse to ride and may not be the biggest, but he is all heart,” Murphy said of the winner. “He made my job easy because he jumped well, travelled strongly and then quickened nicely. He had to battle in the straight, but he was a very willing partner and that was a lovely spare ride, so a big thank you to all the connections.”