Dubai: It’s still nip and tuck all the way in the duel for this season’s riders title. The two contenders, reigning champion Tadhg O’Shea and Richie Mullen, both had a full book of six rides apiece on Sunday evening’s card at a rain-soaked Abu Dhabi.
They started out the day with just a single winner separating them and after a hard night’s work they remain with the same margin after having one win each.
Mullen, who is based with Satish Seemar, has forged a solid link with resurgent trainer Ernst Oertel where he is getting the pick of an increasingly juicy looking stable of very well-bred and trained Arabians.
It is most certainly a case of the best of both worlds for Mullen as Satish Seemar has some of the best thoroughbreds in the UAE and congratulations are due to Mullen for orchestrating this arrangement.
O’Shea has been UAE champion no less than five times, only losing out in 2014/15 to Mullen by a mere three winners.
He also has an extremely strong second string to his bow in the form of trainer Ali Al Rahie, although the trainer’s Grandstand Stables have not been so prolific this season as they were last, when they finished up on 40 winners.
Al Rahie’s horses appear to be finding a vein of good form with three winners over the last two days of racing.
With only 11 days of racing to go in the 2016/17 season we are going to have an exciting time watching these two Dubai stalwarts competing for the honour of being crowned Champion Jockey.
There is one young man who looks like being capable in the future of rising up the ranks in the jockey standings — Antonio Fresu. He is having his first season here as a full-time jockey having just had one ride in each of the previous two seasons. This time he has had about 200 of which 20 have been first past the post. Based with the lovely Erwan Charpy, he is being educated professionally and could be a big threat to the top two next season.
Another rider to catch the eye has been Nicolas Barzalona, also attached to Oertel at Al Asayl, and he gained his first UAE win at Al Ain last Friday.
He is very stylish and quite strong in a finish, as you would expect carrying the famous Barzalona name. He is a cousin of Mickael, Godolphin’s France-based rider.
