Dubai: Trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam’s frustrating wait for a season-first victory finally came to an end at the Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday when American import Bluff posted an emphatic victory in the Al Shafar Investment handicap.
With stable jockey Chris Hayes doing the steering, the four-year-old son of Tapit ran his heart out to post a two and a half length victory over favourite Insaany, ridden by Dane O’Neill for in-form handler Doug Watson.
It was only Bluff’s second career victory since he won an allowance race at Delaware Park in America, before he was purchased by Selvaratnam for Jebel Ali Racecourse patron Maj General Shaikh Ahmad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security.
And it could not have come at a more opportune moment for the Jebel Ali Stables which Shaikh Ahmad created in the early nineties. More importantly the winner displayed heart-warming improvement and form since his four and a half length defeat by Beachy Head at this track at the inaugural meeting of the 2015-2016 UAE racing season on November 11.
“It has been a long time coming, our first winner this season,” said Selvaratnam. “Hopefully this horse can build on it as he is very good, but lazy. The Jebel Ali Stakes could be his next race.”
Hayes echoed those sentiments and said: “Any plan we had went out the window very early as he did not travel well at all.
“I decided to take my time and pull wide to try and deliver one long sustained challenge and it worked.
“He was gelded over the summer and is now very relaxed which he was not last season. We might have to think about headgear for him.”
Later in the afternoon Emirati apprentice Saeed Al Mazroui continued to exhibit confidence and talent on his return to the saddle following a year-long spell doing national duty, when he won the feature race of the afternoon, the Jebel Ali Mile Prep sponsored by Shadwell aboard the ex-Godolphin owned Good Trip.
Mazroui dropped the son of Dansilli in mid-division before making smooth progress approaching the famed hill at Jebel Ali. Good Trip continued to enjoy the run of the race and stretched out in magnificent style inside the final furlong to cross the line a length and a half clear of Sharpallo, the mount of Irish rider Colm O’Donoghue, with Jebel Ali Stables flag-bearer Forjatt running a promising third, beaten just a head by the second placed horse.
“He has run on very strongly in the final 300m,” said Al Mazroui. “We knew he acted well on this track as he was a close third here two starts ago, before running in the Listed National Day Cup on the Abu Dhabi turf.
“It was a good performance because he had some nice horses in behind him today and I imagine the Jebel Ali Mile and, perhaps, the Dubai World Cup Carnival will be on his agenda.”
Good Trip is owned by Mohammad Khalifa Al Basti, as is Say No More who made an impressive winning debut in the 1400m maiden. Trained by Doug Watson he was always going well under Pat Dobbs and, once they hit the front 300m from home the result was in little doubt.
“He has actually been with us just over a year but had a few niggling problems,” said Watson. “He trialed nicely the other day so we were hopeful of a good run and he has delivered.”
The meeting opened with a conditions race over the 1600m, the only Purebred Arabian contest on the card and won emphatically by AF Al Jahed.
Homebred by Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, the winner is trained by Ernst Oertel and was a maiden after his first three outings but has now won both his most recent starts.
Sent straight to the front by Richard Mullen, he was never headed and was able to pull clear in the final 200m to replicate an almost identical 1600m victory at Al Ain two weeks ago.
“The blinkers have made a big difference to this horse and helped him get his head in front last time,” said Oertel. “That win did his confidence the power of good and he was impressive today, just as he was at Al Ain.
“There is no definite plan but there is an 1800m race back here at Jebel Ali and we may aim him at that.”
