Dubai: Sholaan, a horse who has always been held in high regard by his trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam, ended a run of six straight defeats in the UAE with an impressive victory in the Shadwell Handicap at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday.
Encouraged to track the leader Fityaan for most part of the 1200m contest, the five-year-old son of Invincible Spirit sprinted strongly when pushed to the front to record an easy three- and a quarter-length victory over favourite Kanaf.
It was a training triumph for Selvaratnam, who has persevered with the Irish-bred horse ever since he arrived at his Jebel Ali Stables last January.
Selvaratnam’s retained rider James Doyle was pleased with the performance and said: “You have to admire his consistency over the last two seasons. He’s not a bad horse on his day.”
Meanwhile, Emirati handler Musabah Al Muhairi hit the 30-winner mark for the season when saddling Art Wave to win the Arabian Scandinavian Insurance Co Handicap.
Al Muhairi’s stable jockey Wayne Smith, who was returning to action for the first time at Jebel Ali since breaking his collarbone in December, wasted no time to assert his fitness when executing a stellar display in the saddle. It was his 15th winner of the season.
Former champion trainer Satish Seemar was the only professional to score a double when he won the concluding two races on the card with Tiz Now Tiz Then and Returning Hero.
While the former may have given Seemar many anxious moments as he fought out a tight finish with Need To Know and Canwinn before prising out a short head victory, Returning Hero benefited from the weight advantage of apprentice Marc Mohoghan who drove him to a smart maiden victory.
Doug Watson’s Henry Clay was perhaps the most impressive winner on the afternoon, relishing a front running role to post a four and a quarter length victory over five-time Jebel Ali scorer Atlantic Brave in the Shadwell Farm Handicap.
Earlier in the afternoon Safir Bainuna worked hard udder a strong ride by Harry Bentley to land the HH Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid UAE Breeders Society Challenge, a 1600m event for Purebred Arabians.
