Mighty Mannjal

Dubai : It is another busy racing weekend with meetings at Jebel Ali on Friday, Sharjah on Saturday and Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The six-race Jebel Ali card is highlighted by a seven-furlong handicap and local hope Mannjal will be strongly fancied to maintain his good course record. Trained on the track by Dhruba Selvaratnam, he will be ridden by William Buick who said: "He loves it at Jebel Ali and never runs a bad race. He should go close."

Watson's Ego

The pair were rightly awarded a race on their last outing and that form looks strong after last week's victory of Montpellier, the horse who was demoted in their favour.

Champion Trainer Doug Watson saddles three with recent course and distance winner Lord Ego appearing to have the best chance. Jockey Tadhg O'Shea elects to ride Estihdaaf of the four Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum-owned runners. Trained by the in-form Ali Rashid Al Raihe, he is a course and distance winner also this season.

There will be interest in the return to action of Ibn Al Nafis who is one of eight declared for a second seven-furlong handicap.

A maiden winner on the opening day of the season, the Satish Seemar-trained three-year-old has only had that one start and the pair who chased him home, Bur Dubai and Impenetrable, have both won since. Richard Mullen maintains the partnership and they may have most to fear from Watson's course specialist Muzdaher.

The aforementioned Bur Dubai, also trained by Watson, will be strongly fancied in the mile handicap in which Selvaratnam's Airbuss and Seemar's Blues Ballad make most appeal of the others.

Noisy Silence, Seabow and Call Me George all have a course win to their name this season and clash in the concluding nine-furlong handicap, while Das Jalabi impressed many when making a winning debut last week. He will be hard to beat in the opening seven-furlong conditions race, the only event for Purebred Arabians on the card.

President's prep

There is one Thoroughbred race at Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a conditions event over seven furlongs and the official prep for The President's Cup two weeks later. Selvaratnam would appear well represented with Yasoodd and Ans Bach, who won The President's Cup in 2007, among the dozen runners. With stable jockey William Buick in Hong Kong, Ted Durcan rides Yasoodd with Daragh O'Donohoe on Ans Bach.

However, the Musabah Al Muhairi-trained Ibn Battuta is unbeaten in two starts over this course and distance and can make a bold bid to maintain that record under Wayne Smith.