Having successfully defended their Champion Trainer and Jockey titles, Ernst Oertel and Tadhg O’Shea are finishing the UAE season in style and combined to win half of the six Purebred Arabian contests at Al Ain’s final meeting of their first season on Thursday, highlighted by the victory of Callateral in the featured Al Ain Mile.
A winner over the same 1,600-metre course and distance two weeks ago when breaking the track record in a handicap, O’Shea’s mount coped admirably with the step up in class, impressing his jockey in the process.
“He is improving and has really enjoyed this Al Ain surface on his last two starts but has also won on dirt at Sharjah and turf at Abu Dhabi this season,” O’Shea said. “He has not had much racing and is hopefully going to continue to do so next season.”
O’Shea was expressing similar sentiments earlier in the afternoon when Rb Dixie Burning defended her unbeaten record in an 1,800m handicap, breaking the track record in the process. An Al Ain winner over 1,400m in a maiden on her debut, she followed up over 1,600m at Abu Dhabi but arguably posted a career best on Thursday afternoon.
O’Shea said: “She is a lovely filly with very little mileage. Hopefully she can go through the ranks next season as we really rate her.”
The treble was completed by Forgehill Cezanne, gutsy winner of the concluding 3,000m handicap, the longest Purebred Arabian contest in the UAE calendar. All three winners are owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the President of the UAE.
The only Thoroughbred race on the card, a 1,600m handicap, was won by the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Ghaamer who broke the track record under Dane O’Neill, sporting the colours of his main employer, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed. They made almost all of the running and O’Neill said: “We had a good draw in one to get to the front which is his preferred style of racing. He has done that nicely in what had looked a competitive race.”
The meeting opened with an 1,800m maiden, won by Cercina with Carlos Sandoval in the saddle for Jaber Bittar and a second 1,800m maiden went to Tamooh S, a first winner of the season for trainer Michael Kettle. Sam Hitchcott was in the saddle and Kettle said: “That is brilliant because this is my last Purebred Arabian runner and Jardim will be my last runner at Jebel Ali tomorrow.”
The day’s easiest winner was Dere’A Al Jazeera, ridden by Wayne Smith to a five-length victory in a second 1,800m handicap for Saifaldin Deeb. The pair quickened to go clear 300m out after which the result was never in doubt.
Smith said: “I was always going as well as any of the runners and he took me to the leaders travelling very strongly. When I asked him to quicken he did and settled matters in a few strides. It was a big win.”
All eyes on Interpret at Jebel Ali on Friday
Friday’s final Jebel Ali meeting of the season is highlighted by a 1,800-metre conditions race in which the Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Interpret will attempt to add another victory to his Listed Jebel Ali Stakes win. There are six races scheduled in all for Friday’s meeting, beginning at 2.15pm, with the final race starting at 5.05pm.
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