PREVIEW/AL AIN adiyat racing plus.com 33 ADIYAT RACING PLUS ISSUE 792 Thursday 6th April 2023 SELECTIONS Race 1: Farah Al Wathba Race 2: Perfect Balance Race 3: ES Abu Mousa Race 4: Rb Free Bird Race 5: Astral Del Sol (NB) Race 6: Majdy (Nap) Race 7: AS Shamoos By Duane Fonseca The 2022/23 UAE season culminates in the country’s ‘garden city’ Friday evening with the Al Ain Cup the pick of contests on a seven race card following which all competition will cease for at least six months. And all eyes will be on defending champion RB Frynchh Dude, who is locally-trained by Helal Alalawi and won last year’s race without much fuss but with the eyes of racegoers on him as he romped to a 14 and a half length success ahead of Goshawke in the 2000m Prestige event for Purebred Arabians. The race is one of six on the card for the breed and will witness the 7yo full son of Baseq Al Khalediah bid for a repeat in the company of strong divisional names. It is bound to be a tougher assignment this time around as title defences generally are with the winner almost always assuming the pressure, but RB Frynchh Dude hasn’t done much this term to suggest making light work of the task ahead particularly since being downed rather comprehensively by Nisren Mahgoub’s Snan, who also runs here, in a conditions event over course and distance in January. Last seen finishing 15th in the PA Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R2, RB Frynchh Dude should be fresh after his two month break, but Snan might really be the one to catch here alongside Hamad Al Marar’s Suny Du Loup and Oss, who is trained by Abdallah Al Hammadi. When Snan won over C&D he beat Oxford, another entered by Al Hammadi here, by four lengths, while Suny Du Loup has two turf wins at Abu Dhabi to show for his time this campaign and marks his course debut in this having seemingly made his dislike for dirt very clear when finishing three spots ahead of RB Frynchh Dude in the top-tier event at Meydan. Oss carries intrigue with all his five wins gained here, including one over C&D albeit in a much lower handicap in November 2021. The 6yo Valiant Boy entire won his last start here last season and started the subsequent campaign off with victory as well: both 1800m runs, but Al Hammadi will be buoyed by his close third place effort in the PA Group 3 Al Ain Mile four weeks ago when he kept on well and finished strongly. Elsewhere on the card, the only Thoroughbred contest is marked out as a 2000m handicap. Oxford CAN A FRYNCHH DUDE BE KEPT FROM DEFENDING HIS CROWN?
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