Dubai: Resident Jebel Ali handler Dhruba Selvaratnam saddles three runners as he bids to win the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint, the last of three major races held at the testing desert track.

The long-serving trainer won the 1000m contest four years in succession between 1994-97 with Faltaat, Satank and Try Prospect (twice), and relies on United Color, Morawij and new-recruit Speed Hawk.

United Color and Morawij finished first and second in the course and distance prep a fortnight ago and Selvaratnam said of their chances: “United Color surprised us somewhat in that race,

“We thought he would need that run so it was a good effort as we thought Morawij would be hard to beat.

“Both should run well again, while we will find out if Speed Hawk handles the surface in a race. He has run well on the Meydan dirt and seems at home on it in the mornings.”

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, who sponsors five of the six races on the card through his breeding operations Shadwell and Derrinstown Stud, is bidding for a clean sweep of the Jebel Ali features having already captured the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile with Sefri and the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes with Haatheq.

Shaikh Hamdan is represented by three runners who oppose the Selvaratnam army with Paul Hanagan, his first retained jockey, choosing to ride the Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Ajraam, who is trying the minimum trip for the very first time.

“He lost his chance last time when messing about in the stalls and blowing the start so hopefully he won’t do that again,” said Hanagan.

“He stays further and they will go quick so he should be running on strongly.

“It looks a wide open race this year and a case can be made for quite a few.”

Dane O’Neill, also retained by Shaikh Hamdan, partners Kasb, prepared by Ali Rashid Al Raihe, and winner of his only previous outing over 1000 metres at Newbury in the United Kingdom in April 2014.

This will be the four-year-old’s fourth dirt outing after finishing third on all three previous efforts on the surface.

“He has been running well enough,” said O’Neill. “He showed he handled the track on his one Jebel Ali start and hopefully he can at least be competitive in an open looking renewal.”

Al Raihe said: “The horse is in good form and comes into the race on the back of a good run at Meydan (3rd behind Marking).

“He will appreciate the drop in trip to five furlongs, which looks to be his best distance.”

Al Muhairi, who sends our Shaikh Hamdan’s other runner Mushir, has saddled the winner in three of the past four seasons. Art Wave and Conform With Fact round out the quartet of stable runners attempting back-to-back success for his Oasis One stable.

Art Wave to be ridden by stable jockey Fernando Jara won his first three Jebel Ali visits this season, twice over 1400 metres and over 1200 metres, before finishing a closing second on his initial career effort at the shorter trip.

“Jebel Ali really suits him,” said Jara. “He has improved a lot this season and should run well.”

Doug Watson, the season’s leading trainer, relies on My Catch, winner of the 2014 Meydan Classic on turf, who makes his debut at Jebel Ali.

“He has been in good form and running consistently,” said Watson. “We are running here instead of the Mahab Al Shimaal on Super Saturday. “Hopefully he takes to the track and surface, in which case he should be thereabouts.”