Nicholas Bachalard enjoying new-found success at Jebel Ali

Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid’s trainer has already bagged two winners in five starts

Trainer Nicholas Bachalard is looking forward to more success at Jebel Ali. Shutterstock

Nicholas Bachalard is enjoying a change of fortune after saddling just one winner, a second and a third, in 25 races last season.

This time around, Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid’s Jebel Ali Stables trainer has already bagged two winners and two seconds in five starts.

The Frenchman can add to this tally when the Jebel Ali Racecourse stage their third meeting on Friday.

The highlight of the all-thoroughbred six-race card is the 1,000-metre conditions sprint in which Bachalard runs Raakezz.

The Street Boss colt made a winning start to his career over the trip and track on this card 12 months ago as a two-year-old.

A switch to turf for the 1,400m Meydan Classic Trial did not work out and, for his third outing, he returned to Jebel Ali when involved in a thrilling dead-heat, but subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a prohibited substance.

“The horses have been in good form, so we hope that continues,” Bachalard, who has 50 horses in training and three of them entered in Friday’s card, said.

“Raakezz runs well at Jebel Ali and we are happy with the draw in stall one. We expect a good run, assuming he breaks well, but What A Metal looks the one to beat with the advantage of a run this season.”

Salem bin Ghadayer’s What A Metal with Royston Ffrench in the saddle made a winning reappearance when beating Bachalard’s Sadeedd over course and distance in the season’s opening meeting on October 30.

He was, however, a long way behind Raakezz in the 1,400m contest that the latter was eventually disqualified from last season.

“This is obviously a tougher race than the maiden he won, but he seems to have improved from that win and come out of the race in very good form,” Bin Ghadayer, who has racked up seven winners already, said.

“Hopefully he goes back to Jebel Ali with a good chance in a tough little race.”

Raakezz and What A Metal both carry penalties for their course victories. Similarly, Jaber Ramadhan’s Raahy is penalised for having landed a 1,000m novice stakes at Lingfield in the UK as a juvenile in June 2019.

Trained then by George Scott, the son of Brazen Beau then had four UAE outings earlier this year for Fawzi Nass, but will be having his first start for Ramadhan.

The remaining eight runners in the race are all maidens with Musabah Al Muhairi’s Le Facto making his racecourse debut.