LYKE ME OR NOT? NASS TRAINEE HEADS QUALITY MADJANI STAKES RENEWAL

By Suleiman Altaf - 

Some of the best Arabian dirt horses in the country will line up in the Group 2 Madjani Stakes as the season kicks into third gear with connections having their sights set on the Dubai Kahayla Classic in March. With an unblemished record for seasonal reappearances in the Emirates, RB Rich Lyke Me headlines the 13-runner field for the 1900m contest. The 124-rated Fawzi Nass- trainee successfully defended his Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 crown last campaign on his seasonal debut before heading to Saudi Arabia where he recorded a pair of runner-up finishes.

Regular rider Adrie De Vries once again partners the grey but things should no come easy this time around having to give 3kgs to the rest of the field owing to his Group 2 success in January. Fresh from a double on the Jewel Crown card at Abu Dhabi on Sunday, jockey Cristian Demuro gets the call on Nass’ second-string Hiab Al Zaman. The US-bred six-year-old posted a modest fourth on his UAE debut last season in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 but looked to have needed the run. With the summer now on his back, he can provide a serious challenge to his highly fancied stablemate.

Dual Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 winner Jugurtha De Monlau also makes the field, but he has so far appeared to save his best for Super Saturday. To make matters worse, he carries a 3kgs penalty and is poorly drawn in 12. Another one for the YAS Racing connections and probably a likelier winning prospect is Deryan who finally made it to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since winning on the Dubai World Cup card in 2021 on his seasonal bow this term at Al Ain. He will jump from stall one and has the potential to trouble the principals in this race.