Sport | Horse Racing
High stakes
Continuing where he left off at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night, trainer Erwan Charpy yesterday landed the Dh500,000 Jebel Ali Stakes with former Carnival scorer Rampallion.
- Staff Report
- Published: 23:03 December 19, 2008
- Image Credit: Francois Nel⁄Gulf News
- Rampallion, ridden by David Badel (right), powers up the track to win the Jebel Ali Stakes at the Jebel Ali Racecourse. Rohaani, the mount of Richard Hills (centre), finished a close second.
Dubai: Continuing where he left off at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night, trainer Erwan Charpy yesterday landed the Dh500,000 Jebel Ali Stakes with former Carnival scorer Rampallion.
The French trainer bagged the feature race at Nad Al Sheba with Golden Arrow and claimed another dominant win in the first major race to be run at Jebel Ali Racecourse this season.
Rampallion scored in emphatic fashion by a length from Rohaani, while Dynamic Saint ran on well to take third place, half a length behind. In nail–biting finish Charpy's Singing Poet, who led from the two furlong marker, was a close fourth.
French jockey David Badel punched the air in delight as he crossed the line aboard Rampallion, an ex–Godolphin horse.
It was also the second season running that the five–year–old son of Daylami was winning on his seasonal debut, having won on the opening night of the Carnival in January.
Charpy commented: "He has a lot of ability but just does not stand a lot of racing. We were hoping for a big run and he has certainly not disappointed."
Majid Al Jahouri joined an elite group of endurance riders who have successful crossed over to flat racing when he saddled Baddah to win the opening Purebred Arabian race sponsored by Shadwell Madjani.
"It's a great feeling to score your first winner, I am very happy," said Al Jahouri. "Ahmad (Ajtebi) rode a nice race, and hopefully we can win some more races this season. I'm very hopeful."
Leading trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe saddled a double with Jet Express winning the main support race, the Haafhd Shadwell over 1400 metres for stable jockey Royston Ffrench, before UAE apprentice Ahmad Ajtebi won the Sakhee Shadwell handicap over the same distance on Heart Beat.
The double puts Al Raihe at the top of the trainers table and he said: "Things have gone well and the horses are in good form"
Ajtebi needs just one winner to lose his apprentice status.
"This season is going really well and it has been a great year in general," said Ajtebi. "Winning 70 races to become a full jockey seemed a tough task, but I'm almost there and am quite excited."
Tony Manuel combined with stable jockey Adrian Nicholls to win the 1600m Act One Shadwell handicap with Noisy Silence, while the concluding 1000m handicap, the Green Desert Shadwell, was won by the Adi Selvaratnam–trained Tulipa Di Job.
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