THE thoroughbred feature, and the most valuable race on the card at Meydan on Thursday evening, the Listed Dubai Creek Mile, looked a quality renewal. Tadhg O’Shea and Bhupat Seemar completed quick doubles on the card with Tuz landing the spoils for Dakki Stable.

A four-year-old Oxbow gelding, and a $7,000 yearling purchase, Tuz was registering his first UAE success at the fifth attempt, adding to a pair of juvenile victories in Russia. He was gelded after he ran in the Godolphin Mile on the Dubai World Cup card at the end of March.

O’Shea, who went to post early aboard the winner, said: “He is a lovely, big horse and one we have always thought a lot of, but things did not really go as smoothly as we hoped last season. Gelding him was the right thing to do and he has always worked like a proper horse, and now he is growing up. He is exciting.”

The preceding race, a seven-furlong conditions event, produced a thrilling duel over the final two furlongs with Prince Eiji, who had led from the outset under Pat Dobbs, trying to repel the determined challenge of Kafoo before finally succumbing to that rival as they flashed past the post together. The verdict went to Kafoo, under a powerful drive from O’Shea, riding in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum for Seemar.

Kafoo is unbeaten in two starts having made a successful debut in a mile maiden at Meydan a month ago. Unraced in the US when with Bob Baffert, the three-year-old Curlin showed great battling qualities in the final stages. Seemar said: “He is a proper racehorse and had learned a lot from that first win.”

The inaugural running of the Mirdif Stakes, a seven-furlong conditions race for two-year-olds, also went the way of O’Shea, paying a third visit to the winner’s enclosure, this time combining with Russian trainer Pavel Vashchenko, saddling a first local winner, courtesy of Azure Coast who flew home in the straight to snatch a dramatic victory.

An American-bred son of Street Sense, Azure Coast remains unbeaten having landed his only other start, a mile conditions race on dirt in Moscow.

Barzalona scores

Mickael Barzalona made his first UAE mount of the season a winning one, sending Rich And Famous straight to the front in a six-furlong handicap and the pair stayed there, winning cosily despite the Frenchman dropping his whip a furlong and a half from home. Riding in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum for Salem bin Ghadayer, Barzalona always looked to have the race at his mercy.

Rich And Famous, a seven-year-old Bernardini gelding, was registering his sixth success, fourth in the UAE, and the third over this Meydan dirt course and distance, the previous one a fortnight ago. Bin Ghadayer said: “Mickael has given him the perfect ride because this horse enjoys being out in front and is a lovely, honest, horse to have in the yard.”

Barzalona looked likely to complete a quick double on Brontology in the 10-furlong maiden, only to be caught close home by Antonio Fresu aboard Fire Group, like the runner-up owned by Elbashir Salem Elhrari.

A three-year-old colt by Not This Time, saddled by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, Fire Group was opening his winning account at the eighth time of asking. His best effort last season was when beaten just over three lengths by Panadol in the Listed Al Bastakiya on Super Saturday.

David Egan

The concluding nine and a half-furlong handicap was won easily by seasonal debutant Kanood, David Egan in the saddle for Fawzi Nass who owns and trains the five-year-old Distorted Humor gelding.

Racing kicked off with the most prestigious and only purebred Arabian contest on the card, the nine and a half-furlong Group 2 Madjani Stakes, won impressively by the exciting Kerless Del Roc who was never headed under Fernando Jara. Trained by Ahmed Al Mehairbi for Al Rahmani Racing, the four-year-old colt was improving his record to four wins from just seven starts.

Jara said: “That was a big performance today and we wanted to be positive on him to avoid any risk of trouble in amongst runners. I won three times on him last season but this was certainly a career best.

“We would like to think he will at least be competitive in Group 1 company with the Kahayla Classic a race to aim for.”

LAST Friday’s penultimate meeting of the calendar year at Jebel Ali featured a pair of quality handicaps contested by Dubai World Cup Carnival hopefuls and aspirants.

The first, over seven furlongs, was dominated by Shadwell whose six runners provided the first three home, Almoreb coming out on top under Antonio Fresu. The winner is trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, as is runner-up Shajjy who led throughout most of the race, with Doug Watson’s Fanaar taking third.

A seven-year-old son of Raven’s Pass, Almroreb was having his first start for Al Mheiri having won twice last season for Ali Rashid Al Rayhi. He was successful on three occasions for Richard Hannon. Al Mheiri said: “It has been a good weekend and the season is going well on the whole, so we have to be very happy.”

Fresu added: “He is a new horse for us this season and the trainer and team were very confident. I thought he was perhaps a bit high in the weights but the team were right.”

The second such handicap, with six starters, was over nine furlongs and won readily by Prevent, completing a rapid double for the burgeoning Ahmad bin Harmash and Ray Dawson partnership who had also landed the previous race.

Now owned by Ahmad Ghalita Almheiri, the six-year-old Poet’s Voice gelding was making his second local start. He has now won five times, having scored twice in both Britain and Scandinavia.

Over the longest trip currently utilised at Jebel Ali, just shy of 10 furlongs, a handicap went the way of the same pairing combining with Zucchini, owned by the trainer’s young son, Hamdan Harmash. The six-year-old son of Dubawi gelding was winning for the first time in the UAE, having previously tasted victory in France, for Godolphin and Andre Fabre, in November 2017.

No Limits

Very few of the seven who lined up in a six-furlong maiden for three-year-olds were ever able to land a blow with seasonal debutant No Limits, ridden by Tadhg O’Shea and scoring for Bhupat Seemar in the colours of Nasar Askar. Purchased by his owner as a two-year-old at Tattersalls for 70,000gns in June 2020, the Siyouni gelding’s best effort previously was when runner-up on his penultimate start in the middle of February.

Shadwell celebrated another double after the comfortable success of Tashaaboh in a five-furlong handicap, Dane O’Neill always seemingly happy on the Erwan Charpy-trained Lethal Force six-year-old. Trained without success last season by Al Rayhi, the gelding was a dual winner in Britain for Owen Burrows.

The finale, a mile maiden, was won in good style by Leadership, a first UAE winner for apprentice Gary Sanchez, riding for Helal Alalawi in the colours of Ahmed Belqasem.

Weekend racing

A SEVEN_RACE card in Al Ain on Saturday included a solitary thoroughbred contest, a seven-furlong handicap which showed Miniaturist’s liking for the track, landing the spoils cosily under Bernardo Pinheiro. The pair had the race in safekeeping entering the final furlong.

Saddled by Ahmed Al Shemaili for Saaeed Musabbeh Al Mheiri, the eight-year-old son of Shamardal now has four victories to his name, two of them in Al Ain under Pinheiro. He has also won in Sharjah and at Sandown when trained by Mark Johnston for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.

Twenty-four hours later at Abu Dhabi, the concluding 11-furlong handicap was the only thoroughbred race on the card. It was dominated by Zabeel Stables, with Bhupat Seemar supplying the first two home, Dolmen and Antonio Fresu denying stablemate Recordman.

The latter led briefly inside the final furlong under Tadhg O’Shea, but was swamped by Fresu’s mount and Dolmen soon had the race in safekeeping, completing a double on the card for his jockey. The winner, a six-year-old Dawn Approach gelding, was enjoying success for the fourth time, with two Meydan turf victories and one on dirt at Sharjah already in the bag.