Abu Dhabi: The feature event at Abu Dhabi Racecourse on Sunday — the Group 3 Al Ruwais Purebred Arabian race — ended in a dead-heat between Rakha and Sha’Red.
James Doyle on Sha’Red caught Rakha, ridden by Silvestre De Sousa, at the line to split the winning prize and give trainer Yousuf Al Beloushi his first winner. Thakif under Harry Bentley finished third half a length behind in the 1,000m event. All three horses are owned by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
“Sha’Red is our best sprinter and it was nice to get one on the board,” said Al Beloushi. “He is only four and arrived with some decent form. He ran a very good first race for me but I think he’s done for this season. Hopefully he’ll be back next season.”
Rakha’s trainer Majid Al Jahouri felt that Rakha’s showing was exceptional as he was only keen on giving her a run. “It was a good win as she was not ready,” said Al Jahouri. “I just wanted to give her a gallop. However, she proved her worth. We expected big runs from both Rakha and Thakif.
“Thakif had run twice and was the fitter of the two. They finished first and second in the same race last year and we expected one of them to win. Rakha finished the better of the two on the night. She was drawn closest to the rail and took the shortest cut home.”
Doyle also led Jaber Bittar’s Ragdan to claim the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup from stable companion Ameer Al Reef under Jesus Rosales by a short head. Richard Mullen on Kareem W’Rsan was third.
“We were finishing quickly and the line appeared at the right time for us,” said Doyle. “I knew it was close but thought we just made it.”
In the Wathba Stud Farm Cup, local apprentice jockey Saeed Al Mazroui, who was a winner at Meydan on Saturday on Mutual Force, won again at Abu Dhabi on Day Breaker. Finishing second, 1.5 lengths behind, was Chase Me, ridden by Manuel Chaves, while third place was bagged by Harry Bentley on MH Areeb.
The thoroughbred race of the evening was won by Amaan, ridden by Paul Hanagan, after he brushed aside the challenge of second-placed Dane O’Neill on Udabba.
Hanagan said of Amaan: “He enjoyed himself out in front. He kept it straight-forward and did it very nicely. This win was quite overdue if you see his form in the last three races in Abu Dhabi. He was the runner-up twice and before that had finished a good third.”
The first race on the card, a 1,400m maiden, was won comprehensively by RB Smokin Rich ridden by champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea and trained by Ernst Oertel. “He is a nice horse and, as we saw there, has a good turn of foot,” O’Shea said. “I was pretty hopeful beforehand because his one previous run was full of promise and we knew he had improved a lot. Hopefully, he has more to offer.”
