ABU DHABI // The President of the UAE Cup Prep race on Sunday night in Abu Dhabi is likely to be a three-way fight.
Versac PY, the Dubai Kahayla Classic runner up, Skoop, the UAE Arabian Derby winner, and Musharab, the winner of the 2013 Group 1 Emirates Championship, all have a fine chance of victory in the headline race.
Erwan Charpy, the trainer of Versac PY, is confident the seven-year-old son of Njewman will put in a good showing as he prepares for other events.
“The President’s Cup in three weeks is an obvious target,” Charpy said. “We have the Emirates Championship as well as the last two rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan to look at. He will probably improve for this run but should go well.”
Tadhg O’Shea, the UAE champion jockey combines with Ernst Oertel, the champion trainer, with Skoop, winner of all three career starts to date.
“He is a lovely, young horse, hopefully with a big future,” O’Shea said. “He has done nothing wrong so far but this is a different test for him against the likes of Versac PY and Musharab.”
Harry Bentley rides Musharab who looks the best of the four runners for trainer Majed Al Jahouri
“We won the big race here in March [the Emirates Championship] so conditions will suit him and he will appreciate this step back up in trip after two runs this season at 1,600m,” he said.
Nawwar, winner of the National Day Cup, heads the line-up in the thoroughbred equivalent, the concluding event which is run over the 1,400m distance.
“He was impressive winning the National Day Cup,” Dane O’Neill, his rider, said of the five-year-old son of Distorted Humor.
“He then contested a red hot Dubai World Cup Carnival handicap and was not disgraced.
“We have a nice low draw so we can be positive and the trip should suit.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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