Dubai: It may still be early days but already the 2015-2016 UAE racing season is shaping into a passionate and fascinating contest both among the trainer ranks and jockey club.

Top handlers like Ali Rashid Al Raihe, Doug Watson and Eric Lemartinel have been around long enough for race fans to have grown accustomed to the competitive edge that helps them flourish. Between them they have won almost half the number of races that have been run at the UAE’s five racecourses, which is a clear sign they are likely to be dominant players as the season picks up pace heading into the New Year and towards the ultra-competitive Carnival.

While Tadhg O’Shea is pretty much setting a scorching pace in the jockey’s ranks, there is all to play for with Dane O’Neill enjoying a stellar season at the helm for retaining owner Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.

O’Neill is an ideal affiliate to the ever-dependable Paul Hanagan, Shaikh Hamdan’s number one rider, but with so many options available to the pair, given the depth and form of Shaikh Hamdan’s horses, we will continue to see a lot of these two talents in the all-too-familiar blue and white silks that represent Shadwell as well.

On his day Pat Dobbs can mix it with the best in the business and already he has developed an impressive fan following in domestic racing circles and it will be interesting to see how his season shapes, considering he booted home 31 winners last term, which was one of his best spells.

Obviously reigning champion jockey Richard Mullen will not surrender his title without a fight and with runners from the Zabeel Stables progressively running into top form, as evidenced by Farrier’s eye-catching victory at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday, it will pay to keep an eye on this lad.

Call him a Dubai World Cup winning rider, or whatever, Fernando Jara is a rare breed and its only a matter of time before he starts to carve a niche for himself in the UAE. Jara pointed out the other day that the way the racing industry was set up in the UAE it encouraged jockeys and trainers to excel.

“It’s one of the most comfortable and reassuring places in which to ride,” said the Panamanian rider who will always be remembered for partnering Invasor to win the world’s richest race at Nad Al Sheba in 2007.

Champion trainer Musabah Al Muhairi went out of his way to secure his services for the season and given the faith that he has in the talented rider, I foresee them forging quite a successful team as the season progresses.

Al Muhairi said he has long been a fan of Jara’s riding style, which he feels is best suited to the dirt track at Meydan and most of the other surfaces at Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Al Ain in particular. He has declared that he is in no hurry to make things happen quickly but is happy to be patient to help shape the conviction in which collaborators flourish.

Racing is sporting theatre done on a large scale with so many actors and constituents. It’s exhilarating not only for the cheering fans but also those on stage. It can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at times and the good-natured rivalry between trainers and jockeys adds another dimension.