Triple delight

Dubai: Trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and jockey Royston Ffrench combined to register a three-timer at the Jebel Ali race course here yesterday and moved to the top of their respective championship tables for the current season.

Their triple success included the day's feature race when Montpellier went one better than his last start here when running second to Manjaal. Montpellier came up with a blazing run in the 6-furlong Shadwell Stables feature under Ffrench to beat the highly-fancied Green Coast.

Earlier, Ab Include opened the Al Rahie-Ffrench combine's account for the day winning a maidens' race by a short head from Amigo Do Park.

Four-timer

After defending champion Doug Watson had scored a four-timer in the last meeting here, it was Al Raihe's turn to complete a triple win when the UAE trainer struck again, this time Ffrench finishing off in style on Jet Express. That win completed a memorable day for the duo with Al Raihe taking top place with 8 wins and 11 second places while Watson stays put on eight wins and seven second-places so far in the season.

Meanwhile Ffrench, who was one winner behind Wayne Smith at the start of yesterday's meeting, finished two ahead with his tally reaching double figures.

Former UAE champion jockey Ted Durcan made his seasonal debut yesterday winning on Princess Rose Anne, the effort also fetching trainer Mohammad Ramadan his first win of the season while another jockey to win on his debut meeting yesterday was Richard Thomas. In scoring his first win here in the UAE, Thomas gave trainer Anthony Manuel his first winner of the season when Noisy Silence finished ahead of Otranto to deprive Ali Rashid Al Raihe of a fourth winner.

The only race for Purebred Arabians went to Bakhit Al Ketbi's kitty when Martin O'Callaghan won the day's opener for UAE-bred maidens on Das Jalabi.

Results

Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Breeders Society Cup, PA, UAE-bred Maiden, Dh 40,000, 6F: Das Jalabi (Bakhit Al Ketbi) M. O'Callaghan; Al Gharaf W'Rsan (Jaci Wickham) R. Mullen; AF Ibtekar (A.M. Al Tamimi) C. Avery.

Time: 1:24.38; Distances: 4L, 6.50L

Arabian Scandinavia Insurance, TB, Maiden, Dh 60,000, 6F: Ab Include (Ali Rashid Al Raihe) Royston Ffrench; Amigo Do Park (A. Manuel) R. Mullen; Mysterious Moon (Musabah Al Muhairi) Wayne Smith. Time: 1:14.73; Distances: Short Head, Head, 0.75L

Shadwell Stables, TB, Conditions, Dh 120,000, 6F: Montpellier (Ali Rashid Al Raihe) Royston Ffrench; Green Coast (Doug Watson) Daragh O'Donohoe; Bounty Quest (Doug Watson) Wayne Smith.

Time: 1:12.30; Distances: 1.50L, 1.75L, 1.50L

Al Shafar Investment, TB, Handicap, 60-85, Dh 70,000, 5F: Princess Rose Anne (Mohammad Ramadan) Ted Durcan; International Man (Diug Watson) R. Mullen; Daybreak Dancer (Doug Watson) Tadhg O'Shea.

Time: 1:00.89; Distances: Neck, 2.75L, 0.75L.

Al Shafar Group, TB, Handicap, 75-100, Dh 100,000, 8F: Jet Express (Ali Rashid Al Raihe) Royston Ffrench; Lucky Ray (Doug Watson) Daragh O'Donohoe; Dahteer (D. Selvaratnam) William Buick.

Time: 1:39.80; Distances: 6.25L, 1.25L, 0.50L.

Power Point LLC, TB, Handicap, 55-80, Dh. 65,000, 9F: Noisy Silence (Anthony Manuel) Richard Thomas; Otranto (Ali Rashid Al Raihe) M. Henry; Mutajammel (Erwan Charpy) Tadhg O'Shea.

Time: 1.53.76; Distances: 2.25L, 2.25L, 4L