Victory march for Fityaan at Jebel Ali to open UAE horse racing season

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, the main race sponsor of the horse racing at Jebel Ali, a track owned by his brother Sheikh Ahmed, was rewarded with a double on Friday afternoon, as the country’s 2014/15 racing season began.

Pride of place undoubtedly went to Fityaan, the ultra-impressive winner of the featured 1,000-metre sprint handicap.

One of four runners in the race for Sheikh Hamdan, the winner was the correct selection of Dane O’Neill (second jockey to the owner, behind Paul Hanagan) from four Sheikh Hamdan runners and always looked the most likely winner.

“We were not the best out of the stalls, but throughout most of the race I was pretty confident,” O’Neill said. “I was always going well and could see plenty of the others were ­struggling.”

That winner was trained by Musabah Al Muhairi, whereas the jockey and owner’s double at Jebel Ali yesterday was completed by the Erwan Charpy-trained Kahruman, who won the concluding race, a 1,400m handicap.

“This horse has run so many good races in defeat since arriving in the UAE,” O’Neill said, “and it is great to get a deserved win with him.”

The first race of the season went to champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea, who made virtually every yard of the running on the Doug Watson-trained Mizbah in a 1,950m handicap. Having his first start for new connections, the five-year-old gelding showed a resolute attitude. “I actually rode him once at Meydan last season and knew he was a nice horse,” O’Shea said.

“He had to really battle today but responded every time I asked him. It would be nice to think he has more progression to come.”

The perennial potent pairing of trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and stable jockey Royston Ffrench were denied in the opener with Street Act, who would have been winning the first race of the UAE season (albeit at a different distance) for a second consecutive season.

“We were very hopeful coming into this race,” the delighted jockey said. “He is a nice, tough horse who seems to go on all ground.”

There was no bigger cheer on the day than that received by trainer Mohd Ramadan after the victory of his Marhi in the 1,000m maiden.

Ridden by Carlos Sanchez, the five-year-old gelding won for the first time at the ninth attempt.

Arguably the most impressive winner was Glenleven in the 1,200m handicap. Trained by Satish Seemar and ridden by stable jockey Richard Mullen, he travelled unimpeded through the first half of the race before being eased to the front by his jockey 500m from home.

After that, the result was never in doubt.

“He is a nice horse, we have always said that,” Mullen said. “He may not have been the easiest, training-wise, but when he is on his game he has plenty of ability.”