Nymphea Du Paon proves Adrie de Vries wrong

Jockey admits he did not make right call as James Doyle takes the Arabian Triple Crown plaudits aboard filly.

Jockey James Doyle rides Nymphea Du Paon to victory. Satish Kumar / The National

ABU DHABI // Adrie de Vries last night acknowledged his “blunder” in choosing to ride the wrong horse, a decision that handed James Doyle the Arabian Triple Crown Round 1 last night at the Capital’s meeting.

Nymphea Du Paon was an impressive winner of the Listed Abu Dhabi Championship on her emirates debut over the course and distance two weeks ago under de Vries.

However, the Dutchman last night opted to ride the stable companion, Molahen El Alham, whom he rode to second place in the Abu Dhabi Colts Classic on the same day.

“Had I not ridden both of them in their workouts, I would have chosen to ride Nymphea,” De Vries said.

“Molahen was better in his work. That was the reason to ride the colt. It proved to be a big mistake.”

Doyle made all the running on Nymphea Du Paon to win from AF Al Hazer under Royston Ffrench, by a neck, with Molahen El Alham a further four-and-three-quarter lengths behind in third.

“Adrie wanted to ride the colt and I told him he was mad. The jockey’s rule is never get off a winner and he did. She’s a champion and to get off her was a mistake,” said the trainer, Ernst Oertel.

“She will now go for the second round of the Arabian Triple Crown, which is over 2,000 metres, and that distance would suit her better than the 1,600m trip she has run twice in two weeks.”

The four-year-old Mahabb filly is unbeaten in her two starts since arriving from France and took her career wins to four, including a Group 2 prize, from five starts.

Oertel had 14 entered across five of the six races but could only win the feature race on the night. It took his tally to 18 wins, four behind the Trainer’s Championship leader Musabah Al Muhairi. Inthar made it two out of two for the season at Abu Dhabi by winning the solitary prize for thoroughbreds.

Richard Mullen found an extra gear on the former Godolphin runner on the home stretch to win by more than three lengths from Amaan (Noel Garbutt) and Udabaa (Paul Hanagan).

“He is a good turf horse and if he can’t get the rating to run at Meydan we’ll have to keep coming back to Abu Dhabi,” said Satish Seemar, the trainer of the five-year-old chestnut.

“I think he’s OK for the Dubai World Cup Carnival on the manner he won tonight yet he needs to get his rating 100 plus to get that opportunity.

“He was 88 and, even if he receives five for this win, his rating will not be enough to make it to the carnival at this point of time.”

Harry Bentley rode a double for two different trainers. He won the second race on the Majed Al Jahouri-trained Duzar and the fifth race on Ahmed Al Mehairbi’s Safir Bainuna.

Jameel Salman’s Live Rich under Xavier Ziani made it fourth time lucky when holding off a strong late challenge from the Patrick Dobbs-ridden Dere’a Al Jazeera to take the opener, a maiden over 1,600m. The five year old was a runner up twice and third once in his four starts in the season.

Eric Lemartinel saddled a one-two in the fourth race with Manan, under Carlos Sandoval, crossing the finishing line ahead of Theoretically.