LOOK! Plenty of thrills during a busy week of quality horse racing in the UAE

After a long wait, the 2021-2022 UAE flat racing season finally got off to a great start with all five of the UAE’s racecourses hosting meetings.

Meydan, the flagship racecourse in the country, hosted the first of its 22 race meetings on Sunday and as expected, the racing was of a high quality. Here is a round up of some of the best action from Meydan, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Pic courtesy @RacingDubai

The season at Meydan got off to a spectacular start on Thursday evening when Antonio Fresu and Sean Kiranne fought out a thrilling finish in the Arabian Adventures Maiden. It was Fresu and Atlantic Sky who did the better work in the closing stages to deny the filly Al Maroom and a disappointed Kirrane. However, the race would set the tone for a great first day’s action at the home of UAE racing and hinted at better things to come over the next five months. @Racingdubai Fresu was quick to pick up a double when the Italian jockey guided Just You Wait to victory in the Emirates Holidays Maiden. Just You Wait was opening his account at the sixth attempt, pulling well clear in the final 200m to win easily for owner Nasir Askar. @JockeyBPinheiro Brazilian jockey Bernardo Pinheiro was delighted to ride his first winner of the season aboard Gentile Bellini for Emirati trainer Musabah Al Mheiri at Meydan on Thursday night in the emirates.com Handicap. Pinheiro was a former champion apprentice in Brazil and a regular rider on the UAE circuit. Pic @ADECOfficial Spirit of Light won the Al Adwani Fort handicap, the concluding race at the season opening meeting at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday. Pat Cosgrave teamed up with the Meydan scorer to give veteran French trainer Erwan Charpy the first success of the season. PIC @ADECOfficial Patrick Cosgrave was in good form and earned himself a shot at one of the major races of the season at Abu Dhabi when he won the 2200 metre Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep aboard Ottomn on Sunday night. The winner was trained by Abdallah Al Hammadi. Pic @DubaiRacing TV Goulash, a full sister to Jewel Crown Prep winner Ottoman, won the 3-year-old maiden under Dane O’Neill to complete a nice double for trainer Abdalla Al Hammadi. However, O’Neil had to call on all his experience to see of Sandro Paiva and Af Mualami in what was an excruciatingly tight finish. The judge had to refer to the photo-finish camera to separate the two protagonists.

Fresu was quick to pick up a double when the Italian jockey guided Just You Wait to victory in the Emirates Holidays Maiden. Just You Wait was opening his account at the sixth attempt, pulling well clear in the final 200m to win easily for owner Nasir Askar. Brazilian jockey Bernardo Pinheiro was delighted to ride his first winner of the season aboard Gentile Bellini for Emirati trainer Musabah Al Mheiri at Meydan on Thursday night in the emirates.com Handicap. Pinheiro was a former champion apprentice in Brazil and a regular rider on the UAE circuit. Pic @ADECOfficial Spirit of Light won the Al Adwani Fort handicap, the concluding race at the season opening meeting at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday. Pat Cosgrave teamed up with the Meydan scorer to give veteran French trainer Erwan Charpy the first success of the season. PIC @ADECOfficial Patrick Cosgrave was in good form and earned himself a shot at one of the major races of the season at Abu Dhabi when he won the 2200 metre Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep aboard Ottomn on Sunday night. The winner was trained by Abdallah Al Hammadi. Pic @DubaiRacing TV Goulash, a full sister to Jewel Crown Prep winner Ottoman, won the 3-year-old maiden under Dane O’Neill to complete a nice double for trainer Abdalla Al Hammadi. However, O’Neil had to call on all his experience to see of Sandro Paiva and Af Mualami in what was an excruciatingly tight finish. The judge had to refer to the photo-finish camera to separate the two protagonists.

Brazilian jockey Bernardo Pinheiro was delighted to ride his first winner of the season aboard Gentile Bellini for Emirati trainer Musabah Al Mheiri at Meydan on Thursday night. Pinheiro was a former champion apprentice in Brazil and a regular rider on the UAE circuit.

Spirit of Light won the Al Adwani Fort handicap, the concluding race at the season opening meeting at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday. Pat Cosgrave teamed up with the Meydan scorer to give veteran French trainer Erwan Charpy the first success of the season.

Pat Cosgrave was in good form and earned himself a shot at one of the major races of the season at Abu Dhabi when he won the 2,200m Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep aboard Ottomn on Sunday night. The winner was trained by Abdallah Al Hammadi.

Goulash, a full sister to Jewel Crown Prep winner Ottoman, won the 3-year-old maiden under Dane O’Neill to complete a nice double for trainer Abdalla Al Hammadi. However, O’Neil had to call on all his experience to see of Sandro Paiva and Af Mualami in what was an excruciatingly tight finish. The judge had to refer to the photo-finish camera to separate the two protagonists.