Dubai: Emirati handler Ali Rashid Al Raihe will be hoping it is third time lucky at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday, when two-time runner-up Haatheq bids to capture the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile, one of three major races held at the track each season.
A seven-year-old son of Seeking The Gold, Haatheq propelled himself into contention for Friday’s Dh575,000 contest with an impressive performance in the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes two weeks ago, when he finished a significant fourth to Interpret, a horse trained next door to him at the Oasis 1 Stables by Musabah Al Muhairi.
Haatheq will be ridden by two-time British champion jockey Paul Hanagan, who was upbeat about his chances of succeeding at the third attempt, following back-to-back losses to the unmatched Treble Jig.
“He loves it at Jebel Ali and has yet to run a bad race there,” Hanagan said. “There is no Treble Jig to beat this year, which clearly boosts our chances, and he has to have a big chance. We are certainly hopeful of a very big run.”
However, Haatheq will have his work cut out, with several of his seven rivals also holding strong claims, including the Satish Seemar-trained Farrier, who finished one place ahead of him in the Jebel Ali Stakes a fortnight ago.
Al Muhairi has won the last three runnings of the Mile and has entered three strong contenders as he bids to maintain his dominance in the event.
Colmar Kid, who broke the track record two weeks ago, heads the pecking order ahead of Atlantic Brave, who was second in this race in 2011 and third in 2012, and dual course and distance winner Straight Talk.
Al Muhairi’s stable jockey Wayne Smith, who has a tremendous record at Jebel Ali and is recovering for a collarbone injury, appraised the three Oasis contenders.
“If I was able to ride, I would probably have sided with Colmar Kid, who is clearly progressing well and has certainly got his act together recently,” Smith said. “It was a big run last time, but he needs to improve again.
“Like Colmar Kid, Straight Talk loves Jebel Ali and should run well, but I would be more hopeful if it was 1400m, while Atlantic Brave also saves his best for Jebel Ali but may need this second run after a year off.”
Resident Jebel Ali handler Dhruba Selvaratnam’s horses seem to be running into form and, as a result, dual course winner Forjatt deserves a lot of respect.
Selvaratnam said: “He is in great shape at home and should run well but he needs to reverse form with Colmar Kid, and Haatheq looks hard to beat.”
Friday’s card features five other interesting races, with the first of them set to start at 2pm. Entrance is free and there are many prizes on offer.
