Dubai Emirati handler Majed Al Jahouri was relishing the prospect of challenge for the Group I Dubai Kahayla Classic after seeing Raazik prise out a thrilling victory in the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge.
The winner was given a seamless ride by French ace Olivier Peslier to catch the frontrunning Versac PY on the line to win by a neck. The victory comes on the heels of his gutsy performance in the Group 1 HH The President Cup at Abu Dhabi last month, where he narrowly went down to stable companion Rabbah De Carrere.
Raazik now heads to the Kahayla Classic, the only Arabian race on the $27.5 million Dubai World Cup card in three weeks time, together with Rabbah De Carrere and Naseem, who was third in this race last season and seventh in the HH The President Cup.
Majid Al Jahouri, who is one of the most feared trainers on the Purebred Arabian scene, was delighted with Raazik’s performance and said: “We were very confident going into the race as we had done our homework.
“I know the capabilities of all the other horses in the race and were able to pinpoint which horses would be the dangers. I felt it would be either Versac PY or Al Mamun Monalu, so we developed a plan to foil their chances and it worked out.
“Olivier is one of the best riders in the world and rode Raazik the way we planned to ride him. It was a little close in the end, but I was confident that my horse would eventually overtakes Versac, who tried to run away with the race, just as we had expected,” he added.
“We now hope to have three runners in the Kahayla Classic, which will give us a good chance of winning the race, as we can once again make a plan to overcome our rivals on the big day.”
Dubai-based French trainer Erwan Charpy moaned the lack of pace in the race, which he felt had once again compromised the chances of his stable star Versac PY, who has now finished runner-up in five of his last six starts.
Versac, however, will be seeking revenge in the Dubai Kahayla Classic, a race he has contested twice already.
