Dubai: Two-time champion trainer Doug Watson will have a busy time saddling up 20 intended runners as he looks for a strong start to the new season at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday evening.
The Red Stables handler sent out 366 runners last term with 40 of them returning to the winner’s enclosure and resulting in the American bagging a second consecutive UAE trainer’s championship.
However, the valuable seven-race card, which carries prize money amounting to Dh1.15 million looks to be a very open affair with rival trainers including Satish Seemar, Al Rashid Al Rayhi, Ahmad Bin Harmash and the all-powerful Saeed Bin Surour, all holding equally strong hands.
The meeting’s showpiece race is the 2000 metre Emirates Airline handicap which has attracted a full field of 14 runners, among them a sextet prepared by Watson at his habitual base adjacent to Al Habtoor City off Shaikh Zayed Road.
The American will have history on his side having won the equivalent race in each of the last two seasons with Etijaah for principal patron Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
Watson saddles three for Shaikh Hamdan’s horses including Nathr, Mutamakkin and Heeraan.
Shaikh Hamdan’s retained jockey and former two-time British Champion Jim Crowley, has elected to partner Nathr, while 2007 Dubai World Cup winning jockey Fernando Jara takes the ride on Mutakakkin. Up-and-coming Irish youngster, Tom Marquand, will ride Jeeraan, a dual winner at Meydan.
Meanwhile, Watson’s stable jockey, Pat Dobbs, rides Mizbah for the popular EERC Racing Syndicate, with Melbourne-born handler Jane Chappel Hyam’s apprentice Josh Quinn aboard the same owner’s Grand Argentier.
Sam Hitchcott, second rider at Watson’s Red Stables, gets the leg up on Storm Belt.
Assessing the chances of his runners, Watson said: “We just happen to have several horses for whom this race appears the ideal place to get their season started.
“We have been happy with all six in their work at home and they should run well but will improve for the outing.
“Storm Belt could have been drawn better so, if forced to nominate our best chance, I would probably side with Mizbah, but hopefully, they will all be competitive in an open heat.”
Seemar, who finished runner-up to Watson last season and is known to have his string in good order early in the season, is represented by Dawwass, who will be ridden by his stable jockey and the reigning champion rider.
The son of Speightstown will be looking for a first win in four starts at Meydan.
Seemar’s ssistant trainer Bhupat said: “He has only had four starts and we hope has improved over the summer.
Al Aasfa Racing Stable’s based Ahmad Bin Harmash enjoyed a good 2016-2017 season with 17 winners and has three contenders including Handsome Man who was second in this race last year.
“All three are fit and well,” said the Emirati handler. “Snow Squall has not actually run on the dirt at Meydan so we will see how he goes but we think he is probably a turf horse.
“We know conditions suit Brabbham and Handsome Man was second in this race last year. Hopefully he can go one better.”
Godolphin handler Saeed Bin Surour takes a surprisingly early bow at Meydan with three runners led by Desert Mountain, who runs in the 1400-metre Emirates Holidays maiden
Bin Surour also saddles Naaeebb and Dowayla elsewhere on the card.
Meydan’s season opens with a 1200-metre maiden, sponsored by Arabian Adventures, for which eleven will face the starter.
Skyrider, a recent trial winner owned by the EERC, looks an interesting runner.
