Connor Beasley enjoyed a double victory at the Jebel Ali opener on Friday, taking his tally to five winners overall to set the early pace in the UAE jockey’s championship title race.
Beasley rode Tabernas to victory for his retained trainer Ahmed bin Harmash in the second race and was back in the winner’s enclosure on board Satish Seemar’s Night Castle in the next.
Beasley racked up 32 winners last season to finish third in the UAE jockey’s championship race behind Tadhg O’Shea and Richard Mullen.
“I had a pretty good last season and have had another start so far,” said Beasley, who is fast building a name for himself on his return to the saddle after a horrific fall four years ago, that almost ended his riding career.
Beasley, 25, suffered a fractured skull and extensive injuries to his neck and ear after a fall at the Wolverhampton racecourse on March 2015.
“Tabernas has come back a bigger and stronger horse this season,” Beasley said of the first of his two winners. “He had a bit of catching up to do as we approached the final furlong but he did in good style at the end.
“Night Castle was a very game winner and another horse that has improved over the summer.”
“Ahmad has some good horses and with some good spare rides I’m looking forward to another good season in the UAE."
Seemar also completed a double after his stable jockey Richard Mullen powered Lady Parma to take the opener, a maiden over six furlongs, ahead of the Sam Hitchcott-ridden Rayig by a three-quarter length.
Doug Watson and Hitchcott then combined with Mystique Moon to take the meeting’s biggest prize.
Trainers Musabah Al Muhairi and Erwan Charpy got their first winners for the season when Mutawakked, under Szczepan Mazur, and Cranesbill, with Fabrice Veron atop, took the fifth and seventh races. In-between, Sandro Paiva was successful on Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s Tafaakhor.
