By Duane Fonseca
A traditional seven race card is the offering at Al Ain this week with a 1400m handicap for Purebred Arabians taking centrestage. An event for 4yo and older horses carrying a maximum rating of 95, the race with its total purse of Dh85,000 has attracted some tough divisional names like Ahmad bin Harmash’s lightly-raced Tabaasheer, who will carry the silks of Sultan Ali.
The 4yo No Risk Al Maury colt is the highest rated of those in the field at 92 and has run thrice in the UAE with his only victory in the country gained at this venue over a slightly longer mile trip last season, a race he won by six and a quarter lengths.
Having had the benefit of a run this term, when a distant eighth last week in the Group 2 Bani Yas at Meydan, is likely to bring Tabaasheer up to speed for a race in which he faces two time Al Ain winner ES Nahawand, who is trained by Nisren Mahgoub and won a course and distance run here in 2020 for previous trainer Mohammed Daggash.
Khalifa Al Neyadi saddles Yas Xmnsor, Zahwan and AF Ramz, with the latter perhaps his best bet and the horse with the best record in the field. All of AF Ramz’s six career triumphs have been gained at Al Ain and among those are three track and trip wins.
This however is a much tougher assignment for the 8yo Al Kesbe entire, which means he shares the spotlight with stablemate and two-time course winner Yas Xmnsor, who shed his maiden’s tag here over this trip and landed the 1800m Prestige Al Ain Derby in February.
Eighth on his seasonal bow at Abu Dhabi last week in a conditions run over 1400m should have warmed him for this. Jean de Roualle saddles two time course winner Musheer Al Wathba, while Ernst Oertel’s mighty yard features AF Marmuq, who steps up in trip and will be looking to make it three wins in a row, having ended last season with victory in a 1000m maiden here and started this term with success in a 1200m event at Sharjah.
Abdallah Al Hammadi, like Al Neyadi, has three in the fray with Only Smoke, On Cue and Thabeet Al Reef all bidding for glory. While the feature will be run as the last race, getting the evening underway is a Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Series race, which is a 2000m handicap for 4yo and older horses rated until 80.
Oertel saddles four in it, all homebred by UAE Champion Owner Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda. Oertel’s first choice rider and UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O’Shea has interestingly decided to leave the top rated AF Al Baher for apprentice Marcelino Rodrigues and climb aboard AF Al Motamen.
Irishman O’Shea perhaps hopes his ride can somehow emulate the form that saw him win a maiden over 1800m here in April 2019, which was this Al Kesbe’s son’s only ever career success in numerous starts. In contrast, AF Al Baher has claimed five of his seven career wins here, a number that further includes three successes over this trip. Of the seven races, one is reserved for Thoroughbreds and is a maiden that will be contested over 2000m.
SELECTIONS
Race 1: AF Al Baher
Race 2: Waathig
Race 3: Will Power (Nap)
Race 4: RB Kingmaker
Race 5: World Cup CS
Race 6: Barjah
Race 7: Tabaasheer (NB)
