Fernando Jara secures superb treble at Al Ain

Panamanian jockey victorious for two trainers on Saturday – Ahmed Al Mehairbi and Majed Al Jahouri

Fernando Jara steers Rajee to victory from Pharitz Oubai, partly hidden, at Al Ain on Saturday. Courtesy Cedric Lane/ERA

Fernando Jara set the Al Ain racetrack ablaze with a splendid treble for two different trainers – Ahmed Al Mehairbi and Majed Al Jahouri – on Saturday.

The Panamanian jockey won the opener on Munfared and then took the fifth race on Kerless Del Roc, both in the silks of Al Rahmani Racing for Al Mehairi.

In-between he brought home Al Jahouri’s Rajee in the colours of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed’s Yas Racing.

Rajee was third time lucky on the track. He was third on his local debut and runner up in his next start, both at Al Ain, before unplaced in the last two starts at Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

“He seems to like it at Al Ain,” Al Jahouri said of the four-year-old Munjiz colt. “He ran a couple of good races in his first two local starts on the track, so we were hopeful.

“He was beaten in a stronger race at Abu Dhabi and wasn’t disgraced when finishing sixth in his last start at Sharjah. He’s a young horse and will progress with more experience.”

Jara was naturally delighted with the night’s work after riding three winners and a second in Al Mehairbi’s Ullias, also in the silks of Al Rahmani Racing.

“It isn’t easy to ride three winners at a meeting and obviously very happy with the evening’s work,” the jockey, best remembered for riding Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Invasor to victory in the 2007 Dubai World Cup, said.

“All credit goes to the two trainers. I only had to do the finishing job. They were well prepared and all three of them were very convincing winners on the night.”

Doug Watson also completed a double on the night. His stable jockey Pat Dobbs steered Pharoah King to victory in the handicap for thoroughbreds and Dane O’Neill took the concluding handicap for the Purebred Arabian atop Sauternes Al Maury.

Dobbs was also completing a double after taking the third race on Mohamed Daggash’s Dergham Athbah in a photo from Jara on board Ullias.