Dubai: Waady led a string of wins by Dubai-owned horses on a busy afternoon’s racing in the UK that was highlighted by live action from the main meetings at Chester, Musselburgh, Sandown and York.
Trained by Derby-winning handler John Gosden, the three-year-old son of Approve showed plenty of speed when sprinting to a comfortable two-length victory in the Listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown.
The winner is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, who also saw his colour carried to victory by Ejaazah in a maiden stakes event at Chester.
After finishing fourth on his first attempt at Listed success over six furlongs at Newbury, the 11-4 favourite relished the drop back to five furlongs to master his rivals.
Shaikh Hamdan’s retained rider Dane O’Neill rode a copybook race to ensure that Waady’s performance would earn him a shot at a higher prize.
“He likes this straight uphill five furlongs. He came out of the breeze-up sales where they are taught to go flat out early on, but he is beginning to get the groove of racing,” Gosden told Racing UK
“He ran well last time at Newbury where he got slightly in the wrong place. I think six furlongs will be fine as he will get a flat six no problem.
“He will have to be carefully placed now, but we might find a race in France for him.”
Meanwhile, Godolphin’s Basem, a lightly-raced brother to the high-class Champion Stakes winner Farhh, made a winning season debut when squeezing out a neck victory over Frankie Dettori’s Jacob Black in Sandown’s Winner Sports Handicap.
Winning trainer Saeed Bin Surour was delighted with the result and said: “It is nice for Basem to win first time, but he will improve for this race.
“Physically he looks better than last year and I think with age he is improving. I was worried about the ground as his best runs have been on good to soft ground.
“There is a mile handicap here on July 4 [Coral Eclipse meeting] and that will be the next target for him.”
Ejaazah, who is trained by Richard Hannon, shook off her maiden tag in resolute fashion under a confident ride by Chad Schofield, who is the only jockey to win the apprentice title in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Dubai businessman Abdullah Al Mansouri, whose horses race under the banner of Rabbah Bloodstock, saw Muhadathat justify his strong favoritism to win a competitive maiden event at Musselburgh.
The winner was trained by March Johnston, Rabbah’s principal handler, and ridden by stable jockey Joe Fanning.
At York, Top Notch Tonto snapped a losing spell that extended to October 2013 when landing the Ganton Stakes.
Brian Ellison’s five-year-old, who finished behind Godolphin’s Night Of Thunder in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month, came from last to first to beat Gabrial.
Ellison said: “He always does work well at home but we put cheek-pieces on him at home and they really woke him up.
“He’s been in at the deep end, he wasn’t beaten far in the Lockinge on ground that was much too quick.
“I don’t know where next, but we’ll probably keep him away from Group Ones for the time being.”
