(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Stables of Shaikh Hamdan represented in in the Thoroughbred version of the National Day Cup Prep Conditions at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
Nawaar ridden by Paul Hanagan wins at Meydan last year. — KT file
Dubai — The stables of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance are strongly represented in the Thoroughbred version of the National Day Cup Prep Conditions at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday.
The race will be contested over eight furlongs with top weight Nawwaar the choice of Dane O’Neill leading the Blue Stables quartet charge with eight contenders have been declared.
Trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe who’s looking after Nawwaar at the Grandstand Stables here has won this race for Shaikh Hamdan in the last two years and has every chance to repeat for the third straight year.
“Obviously the Abu Dhabi turf track really suits him” said O’Neill. “We have a decent draw and have to be hopeful although the penalty makes life a bit tougher.”
Derbaas is back seeking a third consecutive win in the contest and has the assistance of Al Raihe’s stable jockey Royston Ffrench who has made a great start to the season. Ffrench’s mount chased home Nawwaar in last year’s National Day Cup having won the race the previous season.
Doug Watson has saddled the runner-up in this race in each of the last two seasons having won it in 2011 with Marching Time. He looks to supply the main danger here as well in the shape of Jawhar the mount of stable jockey Pat Dobbs.
Satish Seemar has his string in fine fettle and he and stable jockey Richard Mullen rely on Moonlight Dash a 2200m course winner in January but who has won twice over 1600m albeit on dirt at Jebel Ali.
Not surprisingly Champion Trainer Ernst Oertel looks set to dominate the Purebred Arabian version with champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea choosing Nymphea Du Paon with the stable’s apprentice Daniel Muscutt on stable companion Fee Al Maury.
O’Shea’s mount has finished first past the post on seven of her eight career starts (and was subsequently disqualified once) including all five of her UAE outings. “She was a really good filly for the yard last season” said Oertel. “She seems in really good form at home and is hopefully improving.”
Fee Al Maury won once from five starts in her native France but does receive a healthy weight allowance as well as the benefit of Muscutt’s valuable 1.5kg claim.
Al Raihe and Ffrench combine with AF Lafeh a good fourth in this race last year but who has not won since March 2013 but was running consistently well in defeat most of last season.
Trainer Majed Al Jahouri and jockey Harry Bentley combined to win the Group 3 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup last weekend and the pair are represented by Marzooq fourth in that race last week behind stablemate Thakif.
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