Eric Lemartinel is targeting RB Lam Tara for the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwaya at next month's Dubai World Cup Carnival meet after her impressive win in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The five-year-old mare backed up her Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup success this month by winning the Group Three Al Ruwais Stakes at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
RB Lam Tara impressed throughout the 1,200m sprint, coming home two-and-a-half lengths ahead of AF Alwajel. Majed Al Jahouri Rawaa, under Richard Mullen, was third a further three-quarter-lengths back.
“She deserves a step up in class after completing two Group 3 wins,” Lemartinel said of RB Lam Tara.
“We’ll take her to the Mazrat Al Ruwaya over the mile distance where she will race on the dirt surface for the first time.
“She handles the surface well in the morning workouts but we’ll have to see how she handles it in a race. We can only find out how by trying. Obviously we’ll know after that race.”
Fabrice Veron on board RB Lam Tara made smooth progress from the middle of the pack before taking over the running 300 metres out, staying on strong to the finishing line.
“She’s got lot of speed,” the winning jockey said. “She travelled well in the middle and when a gap opened she moved smoothly to the front and stayed on well to win very well at the end."
Veron has now ridden RB Lam Tara in all her eight starts, winning four times.
“The last time when she won over the mile trip, she was pulling very hard,” the Frenchman added.
“It seems she is best over the shorter trips, perhaps, from five furlongs to a mile. Last season, she won twice over the mile and then placed third both times when tried over the longer distances in two Group 3 races.
“That was because she didn’t have any races at that level over the shorter distances. I don’t know if she likes to race over the longer distances but she should do well over five furlongs and up to a mile.”
Veron and Lemartinel were completing doubles after taking the opening race with Arjan.
“She has run consistently well in all her four starts and she was a deserving winner tonight,” Veron said of Arjan.
Veron had to work hard from the middle of the pack to get up in the last few strides as Arjan won by short head in front of RB Dixie Honor under the Omani apprentice Al Moatasem Al Balushi.
