DUBAI // Two turf handicaps highlighted the card at Meydan on Saturday and South African trainer Mike de Kock saddled Almoonqith to win the race over 1,600 metres, with Paul Hanagan aboard the Sheikh Hamdan-owned runner.
It was a pretty smooth success with the pair always travelling strongly and able to prove a poor run on dirt last week was most likely down to the surface.
“He has clearly enjoyed running back on turf and that run last week will have improved his fitness anyway,” Hanagan said. “He won here on turf last season and did that well today.”
The Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Kanaf had earlier bounced back to winning ways in a 1,200m handicap on turf, supplying apprentice George Buckell a first Meydan winner and initiating a turf double for Sheikh Hamdan.
“This is such a great opportunity and I am really enjoying it,” Buckell said. “I am just so grateful to the owners and trainer for allowing me to ride such nice horses.”
One Man Band and Sam Hitchcott denied stable companion State Law and Pat Dobbs in a 1600m dirt handicap to the delight of trainer Doug Watson. The pair had the race between them from about 400m out.
“Obviously it is a great feeling when you know you have the opposition beaten and can watch two horses you train fight out a finish,” Watson said. “It was a tough choice for Pat but a great result for the team.”
The American handler was not the only trainer to supply a first and second with Ali Rashid Al Raihe completing the feat in a 1,400m dirt handicap with stable jockey Royston Ffrench aboard the winner, Not A Given.
He passed leader and stablemate Ghaamer about 200m from the line and Ffrench said: “This horse has been running well this season and deserved a win.”
The Satish Seemar-trained Year Of Glory was able to open his account at the 10th attempt with a comfortable win in the opening 1,200m dirt maiden.
Richard Mullen was in the saddle and said: “We were very hopeful and he deserved that as he has been running well and clashed with some decent performers.
“Hopefully he is on an upwards curve and can build on this now he has finally put his head in front.”
The meeting concluded with a 1,900m dirt handicap, won easily by Ormindo for trainer Ahmad bin Harmash and stable jockey Adrie De Vries.
Al Ketbi positive about an Molahen El Alhan rebound
ABU DHABI // The Al Asayl Stables trainer Salem Al Ketbi has hopes Molahen El Alhan can rediscover the form that has taken him to five wins at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
The five-year-old gelded son of Al Nasr has six wins from 11 starts overall but was disappointing when he finished seventh over 1,400 metres behind Al Reef at his latest run and faces seven rivals in tonight’s most valuable handicap prize on the six-race card, again over 1,400m.
“I guess that was one bad race he ran but he’s a horse with plenty of ability at this level and can bounce back hopefully,” Al Ketbi said.
The trainer saddled a double in his last visit to Abu Dhabi and has five entered across five races on Sunday. All will be ridden by stable and UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea, who has 19 winners this season.
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