By Duane Fonseca
As the mercury starts to dip, the action appears to be heating up at Al Ain where the second meeting of the season boasts a seven-race Saturday card with the feature event a sound looking 1800m conditions event for Purebred Arabians. Six of the seven events on the card are dedicated to Purebred Arabians, with a low key Thoroughbred contest making up the programme.
The aforementioned 1800m is a run for 4yos and older horses with some highly-rated names in the mix. Topping that list is Jean- Claude Pecout’s Jugurtha De Monlau who is rated 120, with Jean de Roualle’s stable star Somoud two points below on 118. Behind them is a pair saddled by Al Ain based Helal Alalawi in RB Bradley Du Loup and Fettah Du Loup.
Pecout trained Jugurtha De Monlau has had seven runs in the UAE and earned his only success during that time in the PA Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3, the course and distance prep of the Dubai Kahayla Classic, on last season’s Super Saturday programme. He won by a massive five lengths, but was well beaten in the Kahayla when finishing a distant tenth.
Furthermore, his only run at Al Ain in a conditions affair over 2000m in January yielded a close third in which he was utterly impressive. Still the start Pecout has had thus far with a win and two third placings from four dispatches suggests a small yard that could be in form.
It seems a wide open race though with 2020 PA Group 3 Al Ain Mile and multiple Group One winner Somoud a sound prospect considering the 8yo Munjiz entire shed his maidens tag here over course and distance in April 2019. Top among the Alalawi pair is Fettah Du Loup, but even the 7yo full son of Kerbella has seemed to be running low on luck and form.
He was last seen finishing eighth behind stable companion RB Frynchh Dude in the PA Prestige Al Ain Cup over 2000m in April, with his best finish in a while being a second behind Hameem in the PA Group 3 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup on Abu Dhabi's turf.
American import RB Bradley Nelson marks his UAE debut here. Abdallah Al Hammadi dispatches Indys Day, who has run four times at Al Ain, with just one win to show during that time in a 1600m maiden which he won by nine lengths. Ahmad bin Harmash’s and Khalifa Al Neyadi’s course and distance victors Anizzah and Antimo appear the main acts in the 2000m handicap for Thoroughbreds.
Antimo’s wins were back to back during the 2019/20 calendar, while Anizzah’s victory was gained in November 2021. A further five Purebred Arabian races supplement the programme out of which three are maidens and two handicaps.
SELECTIONS
Race 1: Farraan
Race 2: Anizzah (NB)
Race 3: Sufyan
Race 4: Somoud (NAP)
Race 5: Otina
Race 6: Alaa Al Khalediah
Race 7: JAP Al Afreet
