By Duane Fonseca
Rookie Emirati conditioner Mohammad Mardood returns Celtic Voyager to the Sunday programme at Meydan hoping for a repeat of the performance that brought him his first success as trainer.
The 6yo Vercingetorix gelding, formerly trained by Mike de Kock, was absolutely on top of his game in a 1200m sprint handicap on turf a fortnight ago helping veteran South African rider Francois Herholdt complete a double with a gritty standside performance that saw him triumph by a neck.
And Mardood is hoping he can frank that form in a course and distance event that is one of the co-feature events on an eight race card Sunday card that kicks off at 2.30pm.
VOYAGER HAS ANOTHER CAPTAIN
Richard Mullen takes the reins this time with Celtic Voyager set to jump out of stall eight instead of three which proved lucky on his last start. He lines up against a dozen others, a number of them looking for revenge. Prominent among the opposition are Musabbeh Al Mheiri’s Dignity Joy and Harvest Gold, trained by Elise Jeanne, who were fifth and third two weeks ago.
The latter is yet to win after ten starts and finished two and a half lengths behind in a race that followed a performance in which he failed by a short head over course and distance. Placed in his last three starts, Harvest Gold has progressed immensely and should kick down the door as he returns under the supervision of Mickael Barzalona, with 1200m Jebel Ali winner in December Dignity Joy also capable of doing better than the fifth achieved on his last start.
Herholdt pilots Rashed Bouresly’s Abshrek, three length winner ahead of Harvest Gold in a strip and trip contest in December, while Fawzi Nass and Adrie de Vries combine looking for joy with Madkhal, a dual 1200m winner on dirt here. Sari Dubai will look to deliver consecutive victories albeit this time he has 300m more of turf to negotiate after Doug Watson’s choice to field him in the 1900m turf handicap three weeks after winning a 1600m maiden on turf here.
Sari Dubai is among a quartet being sent out by Watson. Turjomaan, Qareeb and Saqqara King are the others and within that trio, Qareeb, a 5yo Speightstown entire, looks best with a pair of corresponding runs on dirt to back his chances.
ZUCCHINI TOUGH TO CUT DOWN
Ahmad bin Harmash’s Zucchini could easily be the one to beat though as he searches for a third straight win. A winner of two of his five starts this term, the 8yo Dubawi gelding seems to have hit a purple patch, having gone gate to wire on his last start in a 2000m turf handicap here, a performance that followed his length and a quarter win in an 1800m event at Jebel Ali a week prior.
Bhupat Seemar’s True Accolade is likely to contest the finish and was among the crowd that featured in the finish photo behind the sensational Al Nayyir in a 2410m handicap mid-December on what was his first local start. Bin Harmash’s Gareth drops down in trip for the 1600m handicap on turf and is among the top candidates alongside Bouresly’s Hawa Bilady, winner of a 1400m turf handicap here on his last racecourse visit, and the Watson schooled One Idea, whose previous attempt on turf was satisfactory.
The 6yo Dubawi gelding set his season underway winning a 1400m event at Jebel Ali, but has a course and distance win on his resume from last season.
SELECTIONS
Race 1: Made In Dubai
Race 2: Habooba (Nap)
Race 3: Sharar
Race 4: Go Soldier Go (NB)
Race 5: One Idea
Race 6: Sari Dubai
Race 7: Harvest Gold
Race 8: Branwell
