Top trainers Ernst Oertel and Saeed Bin Surour receive awards
Flat racing champions honoured at season-ending awards night at Meydan
Dubai: Champion trainers Ernst Oertel and Saeed Bin Surour’s achievements during the 2012-13 UAE flat-racing season were honoured in a poignant celebration at Meydan on Thursday night.
The night of champions — attended by the two trainers, various racing officials and members of the media — recognised their respective triumphs.
South African Oertel was crowned overall champion of a fiercely contested UAE trainers’ championship and Godolphin’s Bin Surour emerged champion trainer at the Dubai World Cup Carnival.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, won a record 10th UAE owners’ championship, with his colours being carried to victory in 37 races, while Godolphin emerged champion owner at the Carnival for the sixth successive year with 29 winners.
Tadhg O’Shea retained the UAE jockeys’ title for the second consecutive year with 32 winners, six more than closest challenger Richard Mullen, while Paul Hanagan (23) and Wayne Smith (23) and Dane O’Neill (20) also basked in a profitable season.
Godolphin’s Brazilian rider Silvestre de Sousa claimed his maiden jockeys’ title at the Carnival with 11 winners, one more than fellow Godolphin pilot Mickael Barzalona and Hanagan.
Mohammad Al Shehi, ERA Board Member, presented commemorative plaques to the winners and said: “What an amazing season this was. It fills us with confidence that the 2013-14 racing season will be even more exciting and rewarding.”
Oertel, who became the first Abu Dhabi-based handler to win the coveted trainers’ championship, described his accomplishment as a ‘great honour.’
“It is beyond doubt the highlight of my career,” said the Al Asayl-based handler.
“Obviously it now puts a lot of pressure on me for the next season, but it’s a nice feeling to have, given how competitive this year’s championship turned out to be.”
Oertel prevailed in a tense finish after saddling 34 winners to Emirati handler Mosabah Al Muhairi’s 33, while former champions Satish Seemar (32) and Ali Rashid Al Raihe (31) provided extra drama to the competition.
Bin Surour said that being crowned champion trainer at the Carnival was not his main priority.
“While it’s always nice to be considered a champion, it’s not the only thing that matter,” he said. “As a trainer you want your horse to run to his full potential every time he gets on the track. You want every horse to be a winner, but that’s not going to happen.
“You learn from your mistakes and hopefully don’t keep repeating them. So when you have a good season, like we did, it is very rewarding, and yes it’s always nice to be the champion trainer, which is a big bonus.
“But this is only the start of the year, we have far greater goals on the international stage, and hopefully we can achieve some of them.”
O’ Shea, who was not present to receive his award due to riding commitments in the UK, rode most of his winners for His Highness The President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Shaikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Adviser to the President.
