The second fixture of the season to be staged at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, as is traditional, concludes with the only Thoroughbred contest, in this case a 2200m handicap. Celestial Spheres and Al Qaqaa share the burden of top weight, the former representing Millennium Stables and Ismail Mohammed who trains from that Meydan yard.
An 8yo gelded son of Redoute’s Choice, he finished last season on a high, winning his final two starts of the campaign, here in the capital, in handicap company over 2200m. He was then a reserve, without making the field, in the Listed Abu Dhabi Championship. His record fresh is not the best but this will be his first reappearance on turf since his debut for Mohammed in January 2020.
Shadwell’s Al Qaqaa, in the capable hands of Doug Watson, was perhaps a bit disappointing on his seasonal return when a distant third over 1900m on the Meydan dirt a fortnight ago but was much closer to the winner when filling the same berth on his most recent Abu Dhabi outing, here in April 2021.
Just four days later, he finished runnerup over 2400m on the Meydan grass. For the Al Bait Mutawahed Team, Qaiss Aboud saddles Sa’Ada who receives weight from all her ten opponents. A 7yo daughter of Bellamy Road, she has a single victory to her name, after 29 outings.
That legitimate success was here in the capital though, over 1600m in January 2019 and this is just her seventh appearance on turf. She was also ‘first past the post’ over 1950m at Jebel Ali in November 2020 but subsequently disqualified. Also near the bottom of the weights, Light Beam is to be saddled by Ahmad bin Harmash and is another with a sole success to his credit, in his case a maiden on the Meydan turf over 1800m.
That was in early March and the penultimate start of last season for this 4yo Dubawi gelding. He then ran at Jebel Ali and was beaten a long way, on dirt, at Meydan on his reappearance but the switch of surface certainly appears in his favour. From two Bhupat Seemar runners, Tadhg O’Shea partners Poster Paint while Royston Ffrench is aboard Mordin one of a pair in the race for Salem bin Ghadayer.
A pair of fair quality handicaps highlight the Purebred Arabian action with the likes of Thayer Athbah, Eghel De Pini and Shadwell’s unbeaten local debutant Muneer all appearing to hold solid claims over 1600m. O’Shea rides AF Majalis, representing Ernst Oertel and Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, always feared in this sphere.
In a similar handicap over 1200m, the weights are headed by Gold Silver, trained in Sharjah by Ibrahim Aseel for Ziad Galadari. A 6yo entire, his most recent visit to the capital was a winning one, albeit over 1600m in a much lower grade.
That was on the last day of March and he was far from disgraced on his return last week in the Group 2 Bani Yas on the Meydan dirt surface. Marmara XM arrives here on the back of a victory on dirt at Al Ain over 1000m and finished last season in the Sharjah winner’s enclosure having scored over 1200m.
His turf form, at least to date, has not been anything ‘to write home about’. Oertel, Al Nabooda and O’Shea again combine, this time with AF Thayer, a generally consistent 4yo.
SELECTIONS
Race 1: Adeel Al Wathba
Race 2: AF Thayer
Race 3: Muneer (Nap)
Race 4: MH Tawag
Race 5: Kadar
Race 6: Light Beam (NB)
