Sport | Horse Racing
National trainer Al Raihe boosts Carnival hopes
Trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe enjoyed a lucrative evening at Nad Al Sheba's third meeting of the season when saddling three of the six winners on the Al Tayer Motors-sponsored card on Thursday evening.
- Staff Report
- Published: 23:30 November 21, 2008
- Crooner, ridden by Roysten Ffrench (red and white), wins the Al Tayer Motors Trophy handicap, a 1,200 metre sprint at Nad Al Sheba racecourse on thursday night. In a close finish Masquerader, ridden by Ted Durcan finished second and Melhor Impossivle third.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Dubai: Trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe enjoyed a lucrative evening at Nad Al Sheba's third meeting of the season when saddling three of the six winners on the Al Tayer Motors-sponsored card on Thursday evening.
Stable jockey Royston Ffrench was in the saddle in the concluding 1,600-metre handicap, the Mas-erati Quattroporte Stakes, in which Rochdale battled to a length and a half victory over Sahara Sphinx, trained by Musabah al Muhairi.
The five-year-old led close home to complete the jockey's double for Ffrench and a hat-trick for Al Raihe.
The pair had combined in the previous 1,200-metre handicap when Crooner, off the track for well over 600 days after a crashing fall, was able to make a winning return to action.
Also five, the son of Titus Livius showed great tenacity to deny Masquerader in a driving finish.
Ffrench was understandably delighted: "It has been a good night for the whole team.
"Both my winners have battled really well to win and the string are in good form. Crooner winning was a great effort after such a long break and a really good training performance."
Al Raihe said that he was impressed with the horse's performance, considering he was returning after a series of battles with illness.
"He had a problem with his breathing and we had to operate on him," said the UAE national trainer.
"But I noticed that he was a much better horse after the operation and began to train him for a comeback.
"He showed us a lot at home and I was hoping he would go close. But the way he fought close to home to beat a seasoned horse like Sahara Sphinx, really impressed me."
In the opening 1,200-metre Purebred Arabian handicap, sponsored by Ferrari Scuderia, Ffrench was on runner-up Firstwan as stable companion Amoking landed the spoils under Paul Devlin to trigger Al Raihe's trainer's treble.
UAE Champion Jockey Ted Durcan, riding for the first time in the UAE this season and runner-up in the last two races, did get his name on the scoreboard when Musabah Al Muhairi's Pearly King won the 2,400-metre handicap.
Durcan said: "It is great to be back - especially with a winner."
Pearly King chased home Lucky Ray a fortnight ago and Doug Watson's Lucky Ray registered his second course and distance victory of the season in the 2,000-metre handicap.
He again made all under Daragh O'Donohoe who explained: "He loves being out in front and has dug deep when I have asked him. It was a good effort."
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