SHARJAH // The season's leading owner, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, had a one-two finish in the only thoroughbred race at Sharjah yesterday afternoon, a 1,200m handicap, with Dane O'Neill claiming the victory on Darej.
Trained by Doug Watson, the four year old, given a positive ride by O'Neill, was making it third time lucky in the UAE and has now won two of his six career starts.
Watson said: "He has made virtually every yard of the running which was the plan and we were keen to try him over 1,200m as that was the trip he won in England. We were not worried about the dirt and I imagine we will keep him sprinting now."
He was chased home by Serhaal, under Paul Hanagan, the owner's first jockey.
O'Neill was then involved in another one-two but this time it was the trainer Tony Manuel saddling the first two home with the jockey completing a double on Ameer Al Sraya, who denied stable companion AS Alkhattaf in a 2,000m maiden.
Manuel said: "We knew we had two decent chances as they had both shown they handle the track. As they turned for home they always looked in control and it is a great result for the yard."
Adrie de Vries was the runner-up and later produced Helouane with a perfectly timed challenge to win the only Purebred Arabian handicap on the card for the trainer Jaber Bittar.
With 50 metres of the 1,700m race to run, any one of seven could have won and Helouane still had five rivals ahead of him, but he picked up well to lead on the line.
The rest of the card was dominated by the champion jockey Tadhg O'Shea who rode three winners, and was seen at his best on the Gill Duffield-trained AF Hasba, who made virtually every yard of the running in a 1,700m maiden.
O'Shea sent the four year old for home from about 600m out and said: "We wanted to be handy with her and she was enjoying it out in front. She responded well when I asked her and ran all the way to the line."
He then won a second 1,700m maiden on Callateral for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE, and the trainer Ernst Oertel and again O'Shea made a decisive move, this time as the runners swung into the short straight.
O'Shea said: "I was keen to get on with things as we know he stays further and once I was clear I was never likely to be caught."
The jockey completed a good afternoon by steering Richlore to a cosy victory in the concluding 1,700m conditions race for the same owner and trainer.
O'Shea joked: "The 1,700m seems to be my lucky course and distance today!"
sports@thenational.ae
Labour dispute
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
