Dubai: Veteran Dubai-based handler Erwan Charpy continued his stirring run of feature-race winning form at Jebel Ali Racecourse yesterday (Friday) when Sefri produced a bold run to win the Dh110,000 Shadwell Handicap.
The five-year-old son of 2006 Belmont Stakes-winner Jazil was opening his UAE account at the 15th time of asking since joining Charpy’s Green Stables at the end of 2013.
Previously trained by Jean-Claude Rouget in France, Sefri yesterday looked a regenerated horse as he tracked the leader, Jutland, before hitting the front at the 600 metre mark. Paul Hanagan settled his mount into a nice rhythm and he stretched out confidently to the line to win by two lengths from Jutland, the mount of Sam Hitchcott.
“He was getting too far back in his races, but luckily he broke well today and it was easy to get a good position behind Jutland,” Hanagan said.
“When I let him go he just galloped away.”
Charpy was winning a second feature event in as many days on Thursday evening, having captured the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwaya for Purebred Arabians with the exciting Manark.
“He has been running well,” the Frenchman said. “We have just taken a while to really get to know his best trip and the tactics to adopt. It appears he has not always found a lot off the bridle but he has won well today.
“This win gives us plenty of options, obviously here at Jebel Ali and of course, at Meydan and the Carnival, be it on dirt or the turf. He is a nice horse and one to look forward to.”
Doug Watson, the leading trainer this season with 21 wins, eight of which have come at Jebel Ali, was a trifle disappointed with the performance of his two runners, Jutland and Grand Argentier, who finished second and seventh respectively.
“Grand Argentier is a nice horse and we’ll hopefully find the right race of him in the future,” said the American. “He didn’t like it down here, especially the footing, so we’ll have to see.
“I’d like to think that Jutland can come back here for the Jebel Ali Stakes [February 19, 2016].
Watson, however, did not go home empty-handed, as he won the next two races, the 1800m Arabian Scandinavian Insurance Co Handicap with Busaato and the 1,200m Commercial Bank of Dubai Handicap with Bannadeer.
His stable jockey Pat Dobbs was aboard the former while Hanagan partnered Bannadeer, in the colours of Jebel Ali Racecourse patron Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
“He loves it down here, which is a big bonus,” Watson said of Busaato, a five-year-old son of former Preakness Stakes (G1) sensation Bernadini.
“He won the last time pretty nicely and we dropped him back in trip [from 1,800m] and we’ll probably drop him back again. He could go for the Jebel Ali Mile [January 22, 2016].
“He’s a really nice horse and a fun one who we hope will probably be around for a couple more years.”
Meanwhile, champion jockey Richard Mullen completed a winning double aboard Balad Al Reef in the Breeders Society Challenge for Purebred Arabians and Sky Jockey in the Al Shafar Investment LLC maiden.
