Sport | Horse Racing
Watson on the double at Nad Al Sheba
Arqaam won the featured Al Nasr Leisureland Handicap at Nad Al Sheba's seventh meeting of the season on Thursday evening.
- Staff Report
- Published: 23:03 December 19, 2008
- Mirza Al Sayegh (centre) presents the trophy to Doug Watson at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night as Abdul Kader Yousuf of sponsors Al Nasr Leisureland looks on.
- Image Credit: Francois Nel⁄Gulf News
Dubai: Arqaam won the featured Al Nasr Leisureland Handicap at Nad Al Sheba's seventh meeting of the season on Thursday evening.
Trained by Champion Trainer Doug Watson, he was partnered by Richard Hills, retained jockey to the horse's owner Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Rulder of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
Arqaam was produced to lead in the dying strides of the 2,400metre ceontest to deny Hawks Home, ridden by William Buick for trainer Musabaha Al Muhairi, by a shorthead.
Watson, the reigning UAE champion trainer said: "We will put him away for the Carnival now and that is a real credit to the whole team as he has had his problems, especially with the starting stalls, but we have all worked hard and that is just reward."
Watson completed a double in the concluding 1400m Al Nasr Leisurelandhandicap when Ragad made virtually all under Fernando Jara to post a one and a quarter length victory over Just One.
The high quality Al Nasr Leisureland Mile provided the perfect opportunity for the Erwan Charpy–trained Golden Arrow to open his UAE account in the hands of Tadhg O'Shea.
The five–year–old son of Danehill was third in Maktoum Challenge I in 2007 and second in last season's Jebel Ali Mile and deserved a change of luck.
According to Charpy, Golden Arrow will be back at Nad Al Sheba on the first night of the Carnival.
"The Maktoum Challenge is the obvious race for him and hopefully he is coming back to his very best," said the Frenchman.
Ali Rashid Al Raihe has his string in fine form and Amoking ran out the cosy winner of the Al Nasr Leisureland Trophy, the opening 1400m Purebred Arabian handicap in the hands of stable jockey Royston Ffrench who said: "I gave him a reminder at halfway and he has run on really strongly in the last two furlongs."
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