DUBAI // Any lingering concerns about fitness at Erwan Charpy's yard were laid to rest yesterday when Green Stables saddled the winner of Jebel Ali's biggest race so far this season. There was a purse of Dh500,000 on offer for the Listed Meydan Jebel Ali Stakes. Three horses, Charpy's Mashaahed, Dhruba Selvaratnam's Meeris and Tony Manuel's Noisy Silence made claims on the lead before Mashaahed prevailed.
Mashaahed came back after Meeris, piloted by William Buick, stuck his neck in front around two furlongs out, and held off a concerted challenge by half a length. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid's jockey, Richard Hills, had opted for Mashaahed over some accomplished runners in the race, and his decision was vindicated. Hills was celebrating his first win of the season after returning to the UAE last week. "It's great to start 2010 with a winner like that, I thought a lot of the horse in England and he is coming back to that form," he said.
"Erwan has said he was taking it slow at the start of the season and it's good to see the stable firing at the right time." The in-form team of Royston Ffrench and Ali Rashid al Raihe continued to ride their wave of success, scoring a treble. They combined to devastating effect when the course specialist Jet Express made it three on the bounce in the Dh120,00 Meydan Horizons Cup - the official prep race for the Jebel Ali Mile. Al Raihe also saddled the runner-up, Estihdaaf, another Sheikh Hamdan horse, ridden by Tadhg O'Shea.
There were six-and-a-quarter lengths of daylight between the Grandstand Stables pair, with Taqdeyr, under the Argentine rider Carlos Sanchez, fresh from his win on Landowner in the first, running home third, a further half-length off. Jet Express finished so strongly he was just half a second from the 1min 36.48sec course record set by Alhasad in 2001. "He just keeps getting better, said Ffrench, who also won the fourth race with Celtic King and the fifth with Montpellier.
"He is super-consistent and a solid gentle giant. It's great to ride winners, but I am lucky that Ali has them so well and at the moment you simply can't rule them out in any race." Ffrench was denied a fourth victory in the final Dh65,000 Meydan Hotel Cup dash over five furlongs when Impenetrable was pipped on the line by Belpasso, under Wayne Smith. @Email:stregoning@thenational.ae
