Dubai: Zabeel Stables boss Satish Seemar sent out three winners at Meydan Racecourse’s penultimate race meeting of the season on Thursday to throw down the gauntlet to his rivals in the race for the coveted UAE trainers’ championship.
The hat-trick saw Seemar draw level with long-time leader and Red Stables supremo Doug Watson, with the duo now tied on 35 wins apiece. Al Asayl Stables’ Eric Lemartinel lurks five winners below.
Former champions Ali Rashid Al Raihe and Ernst Oertel head the chasing pack with 24 winners each. Five meetings remain before the Dubai World Cup extravaganza brings the curtain down on the 2016-2017 UAE flat racing season.
But coming back to Seemar, he appears to be finishing with a flourish, as evidenced by the form his horses displayed on the Meydan dirt track.
Stable jockey Richard Mullen was also in stupendous form, assisting in all three of Zabeel’s wins to storm clear of his closest rival and multiple UAE champion jockey, Tadhg O’Shea, on 48 winners for the season. O’Shea has booted home 44, with Pat Dobbs a distant third on 25 wins.
The highlight of Seemar and Mullen’s trio of wins was delivered by Bochart in the featured IPIC Trophy.
Fifteen went to post in the 1,600-metre contest but Bochart was soon in front, with Pat Dobbs aboard Active Spirit in pursuit. Both horses fought out a gripping duel throughout the entire home straight with Bochart producing just that little extra to land the spoils.
“He needs to be ridden like that,” said Mullen. “I made all on him in a decent 1,200m maiden at Jebel Ali at the start of the year and things have not gone his way since.
“The boss was adamant I should be positive on him today and he has been proven correct. With 200m to run I thought I was in trouble but this horse is all heart and fought valiantly to hold on.”
Earlier Mullen’s front-running tactics aboard Secret Ambitions paid off handsomely as the pair won the IPIC Group Company handicap over 1,400m.
“He was not the quickest away but soon found his stride,” said Mullen of the winner who was a prize purchase by Nasir Askar from the ERA Horses in Training Sale.
“He actually won at the very first meeting of the season, at Jebel Ali in October, and has been on the go ever since.
“This was his eighth start of the campaign and he is a great advert for Satish and his team, as well as the ERA sales which have proved such a great initiative.”
Trainer and jockey’s third success of the night came from Raven’s Corner in the Borealis, an IPIC Group Company sprint handicap .
“He did not run until April last year and had six starts in England before joining us,” said Mullen. “He was a bit warm before the race so his busy schedule may be catching up with him but he can have a nice break now. You would like to think he is a genuine Dubai World Cup Carnival prospect for next year. He is versatile with plenty of natural speed but also stays well and can be handy or go from the front.”
South African handler Mike de Kock won the opening race on a 1,400m maiden, the Aabar Properties, an IPIC Group Company, with the Syncopation.
“Even from a poor draw I was able to get a nice lead and was always happy,” said winning rider Sam Hitchcott. “This victory will probably just be a bonus because, with a summer on his back, he could develop into a nice little horse next season.
Adrie de Vries supplied Bahraini owner-trainer Fawzi Nass with a second winner of the season, when landing the the ADCOP, an IPIC Investment, maiden aboard Al Taweel.
“He was a bit slowly away but was soon on the heels of the two leaders,” said De Vries. “The pace slowed then quickened early in the straight when he was a bit flat-footed but soon picked up and stayed on strongly.
“He was still green and could be a nice horse next season as he can only improve.”
The longest race on the card was a 2,200m handicap, the Nova, an IPIC Group Company, and Maria Ritchie saddled her first Thoroughbred winner when Enery and Fernando Jara reined in long time leader, Darkening, halfway up the straight.
The concluding IPIC Handicap over 1,600m was won in workmanlike style by Street Act under Tadhg O’Shea for Ali Rashid Al Rayhi’s Grandstand Stable.
Trainers’ championship contenders
(As of March 9)
1 Doug Watson 35 7,644,673
2 Satish Seemar 35 5,409,308
3 Eric Lemartinel 30 5,988,618
4 Ali Rashid Al Rayhi 24 4,447,816
5 Ernst Oertel 24 1,777,645
