Dubai: The talking is over and the action begins with the start of the Dubai Kahayla Classic and the beginning of the Dubai World Cup meeting. This is the only Purebred Arabian race on the card and it remains very much the domain of the Arabian owners, who have dominated this race with the Al Maktoum, Al Nahyan and Al Thani families having won all 18 runnings to date and few would question this tradition continuing.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, is represented by five runners in his bid to win the race for a second time. From France wearing his first colours is Mushrae, who is trained in France by John Pierre Totain and won the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamps in October before winning his prep race nicely at Pau in February. Like at Longchamps he is to be partnered again by Christophe Soumillon and he certainly looks the one to beat.
Beating his owner’s other horses will not be easy though with trainer Majed Al Jahouri aiming for a clean sweep of the UAE Group 1 races this year. Possibly his best chance is with Rabbah De Carrere, who will be bidding for a third Group 1 in a row having won the Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and His Highness the Presidents Cup. He will be partnered by Olivier Peslier and despite the wide draw that could be overcome. Peslier abandons Raaziq, whom he partnered to beat Versac Py in the Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and Sylvestre de Sousa steps in to ride this one.
Versac Py must be the unluckiest horse in training as he was runner-up in this race last year despite a brave effort to slip the field. Similar tactics have seen him just be caught again twice in the Al Maktoum Challenges Round 2 and Round 3. Erwan Charpy’s super seven-year-old horse bids to become the seventh winner in the contest for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and is his only representative this year. If there is plenty of pace in the race this will suit him and give him the best chance of victory.
UAE Champion trainer Ernst Oertel, who trains for President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saddles three runners in his bid for a fourth win in the race. His retained jockey and the UAE Champion jockey is Tadgh O’Shea, who has opted to go for Shayel Aldhabi. This is a progressive young mare who has some excellent form in the book, but may need to improve a bit to win this.
For the Al Thani team they have two representatives as the family aim to win a third time in a row with Julian Smart-trained Djainka Des Forges, who was third in the His Highness The Presidents Cup in Abu Dhabi. They are also represented by last year’s winner Al Mamun Monlau, who will be partnered by Frankie Dettori for his new employers. Previous winners have a great record in this race, but he will need to improve on his recent form to feature.
Jasem Al Gazzali is the most-successful trainer in Qatar at the moment and he will be bidding for his first win in the race with Vetlana De Faust under Harry Bentley and she represents consistent form at Doha without winning too often. A special mention must go to AF Lafeh, who is the only UAE-bred runner in the race and runs in the famous Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda colours and he ran a career best in his last start to finish third in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3.
I expect a tight race with probably not enough pace for Versac Py, who will try to steal a break again and I hope he stays clear but he may well set the race up for the classy Mushrae, who will be swinging along under the waiting tactics that Soumillon enjoys so much. Rabbah De Carrere is tipped to complete the frame after having to overcome a difficult draw.
— The author is a racing journalist, broadcaster and GM of Draiton Feed Commodities
