Farewell to hills

Dubai: Jebel Ali's card on Friday is their final fixture of the season and the penultimate meeting of the UAE season with only next Saturday's Dubai World Cup card to follow.

Friday's card is a quality one with the official feature, a 1400m handicap, offering Dh130,000 in prize money and it has attracted a competitive field of 12 including a collection of course and distance specialists. These are headed by Five Cents, one of three runners in the race for Champion Trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and winner of a conditions race over course and distance in February. Stable jockey Royston Ffrench rides with apprentice Saeed Al Mazrooei on Noor Zabeel and Silvestre De Sousa on Factory Time to give Al Raihe, who has defended his championship successfully.

His assistant trainer, Jilani Siddiqui said: "It has been another great season and the horses have been in good form throughout. Five Cents goes well at Jebel Ali but the other pair are 3yos having their first race on the surface. Hopefully they can run well in what looks a good race."

Five Cents finished just in front of Escape Route when Al Raihe's charge won in February and Escape Route, trained by Satish Seemar, has subsequently won a similar 1400m conditions race. Regular jockey Richard Mullen is again in the saddle and said: "This horse is so versatile and has plenty of ability.

We were probably unlucky behind Five Cents when we last met and we should at least be competitive in an open race."

Five Cents is actually having his fourth start since that victory and was well beaten in a course and distance handicap on his penultimate start by Youm Mutamiez, to be ridden by Wayne Smith for Musabah Al Muhairi. Smith said: "He has won both his starts over course and distance but found 1200m too sharp in between. He is in good form at home and should run well but it does look a strong heat."

Richard Hills retires after next Saturday's Dubai World Cup fixture and will be riding at Jebel Ali for the final time. He has several live chances among the six races with Fityaan, who he rides in the concluding event, a 1200m conditions contest, perhaps the best of them. Trained by Musabah Al Muhairi, Fityaan has chased home stable companion Russian Rock on his last two starts, most recently in the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint over 1000m. Hills said: "He has been running well without quite getting that bit of luck needed to win so hopefully things will fall into place on Friday.

"I managed a farewell winner at Abu Dhabi on Sunday which was great and it would be brilliant to do the same at Jebel Ali where I have been riding for 20 years."

Alo Pura, trained on the track by Dhruba Selvaratnam, looks a big danger for racecourse patron Major General Shaikh Ahmad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security and Selvaratnam is another who will be keen to have a winner at the final meeting of the racecourse's 20th anniversary season.