Al Ain: Al Ain Racecourse stages its fifth and final meeting of the season on Thursday, highlighted by the Al Ain Mile, for which ten runners have been declared, including dual course and distance winner Bigg N Rich.

Trained by Eric Lemartinel for Athbah Stud, Bigg N Rich won at the first ever Al Ain meeting in January before following up in the Al Ain Mile Prep four weeks later.

James Doyle takes the ride. “He is a very good horse as he showed when winning at Meydan Racecourse in December,” said Doyle.

“He has really handled this surface well and travels really strongly throughout his races. He then has a turn of foot, which is a potent weapon in these races. Hopefully he is the one they all have to beat.”

Champion trainer Ernst Oertel saddles three with champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea choosing to ride Callateral, a course and distance winner two weeks ago.

The trainer, who also saddles Fryvolous and Najm Alemarat said: “Callateral is seemingly improving and has shown a liking for the Al Ain surface, which is a big plus.

“He needs to step up again but remains in good form and should run a big race.

“It has been another great season and I am lucky to have a strong team around me. It is a great privilege to train at Al Asayl and to have such nice horses in the yard.”

Majid Al Jahouri is another trainer enjoying an excellent season and has both Rakha and Thakif in the field.

Thakif was third behind Bigg N Rich in the Al Ain Mile Prep a month ago and third in February behind stable companion Rakha who dead-heated in the Group 3 Al Ruwais.

The main support race is a 3000m handicap, the longest Purebred Arabian race in the UAE calendar, surpassing last week’s 2700m Sharjah Marathon.

That Sharjah stayers’ contest was won by the Oertel-trained Swyft, who headed stable companion Forgehill Cezanne close home and both are back in action here.

Al Jahouri’s Raheq was third in the same race and it would be no surprise were the three to fight out this race, with all three having experience of the track when running in the prep for this contest over 2600m.

Forgehill Cezanne was third on that occasion, when Raheq was fourth and Swyft fifth.

The only Thoroughbred race among the seven on the card is a 1600m handicap and the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Ghaamer, seeking a third win in 2014, could be hard to beat.

Doug Watson’s Jeerann was a course and distance winner three weeks ago and could be the main danger. Both are owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance. Retained jockey Dane O’Neill has elected to ride Ghaamer.