Dubai: The 2014-2015 UAE flat racing season gets under way at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday, with several top performers at the venue hoping to seize an early advantage.

Emirati handler Musabah Al Muhairi saddles 13 runners, but may find it hard to continue from where he left of last season having saddled 21 winners at the course.

The highlight of the opening day’s card is the 1000 metre Shadwell Handicap, a Dh120,000 contest which has attracted a strong field of eight sprinters.

The weights are headed by Roicead, who is trained on the track by Dhruba Selvaratnam and looks to be the potential choice of Pick Six players.

An impressive six and a quarter length winner over 1200m at Jebel Ali’s final meeting last season, the seven-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway will be ridden by Selvaratnam’s new stable jockey Oisin Murphy.

“He carries a lot of weight and is giving weight to some good horses who go very well here at Jebel Ali,” the handler cautioned. “He will certainly improve for the run but is fit and well.”

Kilt Rock, Fityaan and Mujaazef — three horses who finished behind Roicead on that occasion in March, reoppose.

But it is Al Muhairi’s Kanaf, a five-time winner at the track, who looks to pose the biggest threat to Roicead. A son of former top-class sprinter Elnadim, Kanaf will be ridden by apprentice George Buckell who is a newcome to the UAE.

Dane O’Neill, second jockey to Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, takes the ride on Fityaan, a veteran of 17 starts in the UAE who is looking for his first win at Jebel Ali

Trained by Al Muhairi, the son of Haafhd came within sniffing distance of ending his drought at the course when he was beaten a nose by Take Ten in the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint over course and distance last season.

“It’s never easy to choose in these situations but Fityaan goes well at Jebel Ali and has been pleasing his trainer at home,” said O’Neill.

Kilt Rock, who is trained by former champion handler Doug Watson and is seeking a sixth win at the course, has reportedly being fit and working well.

Friday’s care also feature four other competitive handicaps and an interesting maiden race.