Pleasanton, California: Sand Victor staved off favourite Paddys Day in Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Grade II — Emerald Arabian Triple Jewel race while Austrian lady jockey Manuela Slamanig obliged on favourite RB Madymoiselle in the H.H. Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship series in Pleasanton, California.
It was sweet revenge for Sand Victor as in last year’s race Paddys Day had finished ahead of Saturday’s winner.
Though beaten by Sand Victor, Paddys Day, the winner of the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Triple Jewel series last year and the winner of the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup — Amethyst Jewel, Grade 1 (first leg) at the Sam Houston Race Park in Texas in March this year, still remains the favourite to wear the Triple Jewel Crown.
Paddys Day has 15 points from a win and a second place in the two legs while others in the hunt are Easter Man (11 points), Uptown Dannys Boy (11), Sammy V (10) and Saturday’s winner Sand Victor (8). The points allotted are 8, 7 and 6 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and 5 points for all others. If Paddys Day runs in the final Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup — Diamond Jewel race in Los Alamitos on September 10, the Scot Powell-trained 5-year-old will be the Triple Jewel winner for the second consecutive year irrespective of how they finish.
In Saturday’s race, Hugo Herrera on Sand Victor and Kelsi Purcell on Paddys Day were handily placed just off the pace which was set by Sammy V way past the half way mark. Once they turned for home, Herrera hit the front from third place though Uptown Dannys Boy led for a while before weakening away. Purcell had a lot to do and despite a late rally could not catch up with Sand Victor, the latter’s driving finish giving him a two length win. Uptown Dannys Boy under Ramon Guce finished third.
Bred and owned by Betty and Joseph Gillis, the Terri Easton-trained Sand Victor completed the 6-furlong distance in 1:17.87 in the US$48,000 race.
In the H.H. Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race run over a similar distance of 1200 metres, Slamanig, a 31-year-old Veterinary surgeon, made no mistake on the pre-race favourite RB Madymoiselle.
It was almost a display with clinical precision as Slamanig kept the Scot Powell-trained RB Madymoiselle within striking distance and then began her run just after the 600 metres. From then on, the four-year-old Madj Al Arab filly just took off and Oman’s Fatma Al Manji on Dream Pearl could not do much despite a determined effort. It was a win by over two lengths for Slamanig who will make her second bid to win the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship.
The Austrian had qualified for the final in 2013 after her victory in Casablanca, Morocco, but could only finish 5th in the final that year.
Al Manji on Dream Pearl finished second while in third place went to One Hot Chick under Eva Maria Herresthal. The two races for Purebred Arabian horses were run under the umbrella of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.
