Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and his retained jockey Paul Hanagan are clearly on a roll.

After clinching the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 at Meydan on Thursday with Handassa, they captured another prized Purebred Arabian contest – the 1400m Group 1 Liwa Oasis with AF Mathmoon at the capital course on Sunday.

The win was even more memorable for trainer Musabah Al Muhairi as it came on the back of the treble at Meydan on Super Saturday.

The Liwa Oasis was mainly a three-way contest and AF Mathmoon, who came into the race having beaten Shateh by a length-and-a-half in the Group 3 Baniyas on the dirt at Meydan a couple of weeks ago, was at his authoritative best again. Hanagan placed AF Mathmoon right behind Shateh in the early part of the race and then made the move in the final turn. Once in front, about 200m from home, the five-year-old grey bay simply powered his way to the finish by a length-and-a-half. Shateh finished second ahead of the Tadhg O’Shea-ridden Abhaar.

The result extended AF Mathmoon’s tally to five wins from six starts. He was second to Thakif in another race, the Round 1 of the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan, a Group 1 race, a month ago. His first three career wins were achieved in the colours of his breeder, Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda. “He is a really nice horse and stuck his head down to fight. Once we hit the straight I was always pretty happy we had things under control,” said a delighted Hanagan, adding, “He certainly was not stopping at the line as I struggled to pull him up. It has been a brilliant weekend in what has been a great season.”

It is still not clear where AF Mathmoon will be going next, as trainer Al Muhairi has left that for owner Shaikh Hamdan to decide.

“He has had two races in just over two weeks and won them both very nicely. Now what he does and where he goes next is for the owner to decide,” said the Emirati, who also completed a double when stable jockey Fernando Jara led mare Love To Dance to victory in the concluding 1200m handicap.

The main support race of the evening, the Group 3 Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (2400m), restricted to four-year-olds, was won by Sniper De Monlau.

Despite Royston Ffrench’s best efforts, Sniper De Monlau drifted again to the left, as he has done in all his previous four career starts. This perennial problem cost Sniper De Monlau a second place finish in the Arabian Triple Crown Round 3. However, this time round, he managed to avenge that slender loss to Mahbooba. The race was very much similar to that witnessed then, but this time, Sniper De Monlau managed to get his short-head in front at the line to pip Mahbooba.

“I rode against him in every race and I know what he is capable of and what he does. He’s a horse with massive ability but he does like to go left handed when he gets into the straight,” said Ffrench, adding that the good thing is that Sniper De Monlau then puts his best foot forward. “Obviously, when you are not going straight you lose ground, but he goes forward and that’s the main thing. He has got his quirks but he’s a very talented individual.”

And Al Naboodah’s fine run as an owner with horses he has bred himself, mostly by his own sire, AF Al Buraq, continued. AF Maqayes, a four-year-old son of AF Al Buraq, won the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup For Private Owners Only. AF Maqayes won by a length from the Ernst Oertel’s AF Laja under David Probert, with Al Shabab under Ffrench finishing third.