Title race in focus at Jebel Ali finale

Dubai: The battle for the UAE Trainer’s title looks set to overshadow the action as Jebel Ali Racecourse stages its final race meeting of the 2012-2013 UAE racing season on Friday.

With just next Saturday’s big Dubai World Cup meeting remaining, theoretically four trainers have a chance of being crowed champion although realistically Al Asayl’s Ernst Oertel, who leads the race with 34 winners and Oasis 1 Stables’ Musabah Al Muhairi, who trails by two winners, look to have the best chance.

Reigning champion Ali Rashid Al Rahie and former champion Satish Seemar are on 30 winners each.

Al Muhairi, who has an awesome record at Jebel Ali this season, takes an army of 14 runners to the hilly track while South African Oertel is set to saddle a modest three.

Leading Al Muhairi’s formidable team is course specialist Treble Jig who looks hard to oppose in the Shadwell-sponsored feature event.

A dual winner of the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes and Mile, Treble Jig is unbeaten in five starts at Jebel Ali, including when setting a new track record earlier this year over the same 1800m course and distance as today’s race.

Although Treble Jig will have to carry a penalty his jockey Waye Smith was full of confidence and said: “He worked very well on Tuesday morning and really pleased us. We keep saying it but he really is just a different horse at Jebel Ali where the surface really suits him and he just gallops relentlessly up that hill.

“He should be hard to beat and hopefully the boss (Al Muhairi) can win the title this year as he deserves to after a few narrow misses.”

The main threat appears to be Al Raihe’s Derbaas who won this season’s National Day Cup at Abu Dhabi.

Satish Seemar saddles Farrier, a winner of his only Jebel Ali start to date, while Esmail Mohammad is represented by course winner Encipher.

Dorian Crown represents US handler Seth Benzel.

The main support race is a 1400m conditions event and Jebel Ali-trained Forjatt looks the pick of runners in a race where stable companion Roicead makes his local debut.

Meanwhile, Al Muhair, Wayne Smith and owner Fathi Esaed Mohammad Egziama have secured their respective Jebel Ali Championships, sponsored by Ardmore Trading.

In addition they have also won a car donated by Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture.