Taamol gets a confidence boost with impressive win at Meydan

Dubai World Cup Carnival in sight for Ali Rashid Al Raihe

Taamol will be the one to watch at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday. Reem Mohammed / The National

Grandstand Stables trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe believes Taamol can draw confidence from Thursday’s win at Meydan ahead of next year’s Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting.

Taamol , the four-year-old ridden by Dane O’Neill in the silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, was an impressive winner of the most valuable Handicap prize of the seven-race card.

“He joined us last season and was campaigned in some top flight races in the Carnival meetings,” said Al Raihe, who completed a double after Fernando Jara steered Roy Orbison to victory in an earlier race.

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“This drop down in class will do a world of good to him. He’s adapted well over the summer and this was a good confidence booster for him.

“We’ll see how he’s come out of this race and then speak to the owner, and see where he goes next. Possibly give him another race or two, and if he does well, which I’m sure he would, and then aim for another campaign in the Carnival.”

O’Neill raced Taamol close to the rail before moving him out from behind the two front to cruise home by two and-a-half lengths from Satish Seemar-trained pair Pilgrim’s Treasure and Mazeed over the 1,400-metre trip.

“He broke well and we raced close to the rails, but I didn’t really want to hold on to that position,” O’Neill said. “I dropped down a bit and got him to the outside to avoid the kick-back, and once he got to the clear he just moved into the lead and won very well.”

Taamol won twice from six career starts in the UK, including a Listed prize at Newmarket, when trained by Michael Stoute.

“This horse was held in high regard when he was racing in the UK,” O’Neill said. “I think he took some time to find himself here last season. it’s his second season and he’s blossomed over the summer.

“Hopefully he can progress from this one. He’s a horse we have to find out where he fits in, and hopefully he can go forward.”

Seemar and Richard Mullen, the trainer-jockey combination, completed a double on the night by taking the fifth and sixth races on Welford and Lavaspin respectively.

The Phoenix Ladies Syndicate, newcomers to racing in the UAE, made it two from two in as many weeks after Superior’s triumph in the opener with the same trainer-jockey combination of Ahmad bin Harmash and Connor Beasley.

UAE champion trainer Doug Watson picked up the next prize 35 minutes later with Tried And True under the stable jockey Pat Dobbs.