Tadhg O’Shea extends lead in UAE jockeys' championship race

Irishman rides a double in Abu Dhabi on Sunday

Jockey Tadhg O’Shea has 41 wins this season. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

Tadhg O’Shea notched up his 41st winner this season to extend his lead in the UAE jockey’s championship race.

The Irishman is chasing a ninth jockey’s title, a record he holds after eclipsing the previous mark of seven held by Ted Durcan.

O’Shea rode a double for his main patron Khalid Khalifa Al Naoodah in the 13th meeting at Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

He won the second race atop AF Dars and completed the double half hour later on board Af Musannef, both trained by Ernst Oertel.

O’Shea now holds a comfortable lead over second-placed Fabrice Veron who has 25 winners.

Oertel himself completed a treble when Malin Holmberg brought home AF Taghzel in the third race.

That took Oertel’s tally to 32, one behind Doug Watson in the UAE trainer’s championship battle.

AF Dars overcame the widest draw in gate 14 to win by a length and-a-quarter from Basima Al Wathba after a tough battle to the line in the maiden run over the 1,400-metre trip.

“It was a very competitive card but he was one of my better rides,” O’Shea said of AF Dars.

“Ernst and his team have their horses in great form. He jumped very well and he clearly learnt plenty from the first start. He kept fighting and he’s improved from race one to two, so he clearly looks as a nice horse.”

Nadhra, making her turf debut, took the opener under Veron to give her handler Eric Lemartinel his third win after saddling a double at Al Ain on Friday.

Veron produced a well-timed challenge for the Munjiz filly to come with a strong late run from the middle of the field to win from Erwan Charpy’s Murooj by a neck.

“She’s a nice filly and gets on well on both turf and dirt,” Veron, who rode in two of her three previous starts, said.

“She picked up well and won well. She’s still a baby and only her fourth start, and brought her experience to the table. I don’t see any reason why she can’t improve after this win tonight.”

Tadhg O’Shea bagged the next on Ernst Oertel’s AF Dars to take his tally to 40 in the UAE jockey’s championship race