3 minute read
The biggest race of the Al Ain season, Friday’s 1600m Group 3 Al Ain Mile, proved a red letter occasion for Khalifa Al Neyadi who saddled the winner, AF Sanad, to land the spoils under Omani apprentice Saif Al Balushi, who could not utilise his weight allowance due to the status of the race, in the trainer’s own silks.
Content to dispute second place for the first part of the race, Al Balushi committed for home fully 900m out and soon had five of his six rivals beaten off with just last year's winner, the penalised Dagui Lotois, posing a threat.
The latter appeared a big danger with 350m remaining but was then forced to switch as he seemingly ran out of racing room, losing crucial momentum and never able to recover.
Al Balushi said: "Obviously we are delighted and this horse is just so tough. He likes it here at Al Ain and that is a big result for our whole team after everything went right today."
The meeting kicked off with the only Thoroughbred race on the card, a 1000m handicap and Laa Baas won fairly comfortably under Richard Mullen, sporting the predominantly yellow silks of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, for Nicholas Bachalard.
Always prominent, Mullen set to sail for home just after hallway and soon had the race in safekeeping, the 5yo gelded son of Oxbow actually losing his maiden tag in the process at just the seventh attempt, all in the UAE but on his first visit to Al Ain."
Bachalard said: "We were very happy to come here with him and hoped he could win over this flat straight track. The 1000m really suits him as he has a lot of natural speed and we will stick to this trip if we can find the right races."
AF Falaq and apprentice Marcelino Rodrigues posted a decisive victory in the 1400m handicap for horses in private ownership, scoring for the second time this season for the Al Buraq Syndicate and Ahmed Al Shemaili.
The 6yo entire was also successful on his penultimate outing, a 1200m maiden on the turf at Abu Dhabi and was having just his seventh career outing here.
The following 1600m maiden produced the third consecutive comfortable success on the card, Al Wathba Racing's 5yo debutant Muraqib delivering the goods for Jean de Roualle with Dane O'Neill performing the steering.
Homebred and foaled in the UAE, the entire horse always appeared to be travelling well and, once sent to the front at the top of the long straight, never looked in danger of being denied a perfect start to his belated career."
De Roualle, who trains on the Al Ain track, said: "We have given him plenty of time because he is a big, strong horse and I am delighted he won today, especially because he was so professional.
"We will now put him away for next season but he is probably a dirt horse who will stay further and has a touch of class about him."
An hour later, O'Neill completed a double in a 2000m maiden for 4yos, but in totally different circumstances with Guvnor battling gamely to regain an initiative, one he had relinquished at the top of the straight, almost right on the line for Al Ajban Stables and Abdallah Al Hamamdi.
Runner-up Munawih Baynounah appeared the most likely winner throughout most of the final 500m only to be denied in the dying strides by Guvnor, a colt opening his account at the eighth attempt.
O'Neill said: "My horse was very tough, honest and willing, an attitude which has probably won him the race."
The meeting concluded with a pair of 2000m handicaps and, in the first, the 'easy victory trend' resurfaced, this time Tadhg O'Shea and AF Mukhrej able to put the race to bed early in the straight for Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda and Ernst Oertel.
Never out of the first three, O'Shea grabbed the lead on the home turn before kicking the 6yo homebred entire clear soon after entering the straight, the horse settling the issue in a few strides to record his second consecutive victory and fifth this season.
Oertel said: "He has always been a very nice horse and is versatile regarding trip and surface which gives us options. We hope he is improving and has more to offer."
A better 2000m handicap completed proceedings and looked set to be a virtual carbon copy of the one 30 minutes earlier when Sandro Piava kicked clear on Nadelshiba with about 550m remaining, but the pair only just hung on for Elbashim Salem Elhrari and trainer Rashed Ali Al Rayhi with Rajee closing rapidly under Royston Ffrench.
However, the winning post appeared just in time for Paiva, providing his handler a second training success and first with a Purebred Arabian in his first season with a licence.
A 5yo entire, Nadelshiba has now won twice from just six starts and was scoring on his dirt and local debut, returning to a racecourse after 246 days away from competitive action.
