ABU DHABI // Ahmad bin Harmash is hoping to cap a fine first season with a trainer’s licence by saddling his 10th winner in the season’s penultimate meeting at Abu Dhabi.
Bin Harmash had his ninth winner of the campaign with the easy victory of Ennobled Friend at Jebel Ali on Friday.
That winner was ridden by stable jockey Adrie De Vries and the pair combine again with Zurbriggen, an impressive Meydan Racecourse winner on his penultimate start and local debut before an excellent fifth in The President’s Cup at Abu Dhabi.
They appear in the most valuable race at Abu Dhabi, the concluding 1,600 metres handicap, which is the only thoroughbred race on the card for which 14 have been declared.
The four year old is clearly progressing and De Vries said: “He is a horse we have always liked and we knew he would go very close in that maiden he won – his work had been very good.
“His run in the President’s Cup was a good one and he should appreciate the extra 200m on this occasion.”
One place in front of De Vries’ mount in The President’s Cup was 2012 National Day Cup winner, Derbaas whose finest moment came when winning the 2011 Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort at Meydan.
Trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe, he will be ridden by stable jockey Royston Ffrench.
Derbaas is one of eight in the field owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, whose first jockey, Paul Hanagan, has chosen to ride Jawhar for Doug Watson.
Hanagan’s mount broke the 1,600m turf track record at Meydan Racecourse three starts ago and he won Jebel Ali’s final race on Friday on Watson’s Jalaa.
The owner’s second jockey, Dane O’Neill, partners Ribaat, a stable companion of Derbaas.
Satish Seemar enjoyed a double at Jebel Ali on Friday, including the Jebel Ali Sprint victory of Take Ten, and saddles four runners.
Stable jockey Richard Mullen rides Signs In The Sand, seventh in The President’s Cup, with apprentice Marc Monaghan aboard Montmorency – a place in front of his stable companion in that Listed contest.
The Dhruba Selvaratnam-trained Canwinn is another to consider in an open contest.
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