Abu Dhabi: Al Ain racecourse is all set for its curtain-raising event, as Friday’s debut meeting features a six-race card.
Faisal Al Rehmani, head of the 10-member committee of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, tasked with developing racing in Al Ain, hopes it will go on to become a top racecourse.
“The prize money is the best for Arabian horses in the UAE. We have five race meetings and for each meeting we have an average prize money of Dh500,000. The prize money is good,” Al Rehmani said.
“We have a big race, the Al Ain Mile, and the prep will be Dh100,000 while the main race will be Dh250,000, which will be a part of the fifth meeting on March 20.
“If you calculate the prize money for Arabian horses all over the UAE, it is Dh7.8 million. We will be offering Dh2.5 million and that means we are getting a share of 25 to 30 per cent, so we are coming up with a big bang.”
With the floodlights also in place, there is a possibility that the last meeting in Al Ain will be held in the evening.
“We are trying to generate new themes for racing in Al Ain. We are planning for the night race. Maybe the last race this year or next year we will have night races. We are ready and it shouldn’t be a problem to organise a night race, but we have to wait and see,” Al Rehmani said.
The new facility boasts a 2,500m track, making it the largest in the UAE, and is described as a mixture of sand and fibre by Al Ain racing manager Neil Abrahams.
“It is a sand surface but with fibre in it to help retain moisture. It has been a training facility for a long time — more than 10 years — but we have had to carry out a lot of work to get it to a standard where it can be raced on,” he said.
“We have also had to make sure the infrastructure around the course is suitable for a race meeting and have worked closely with the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) to meet the required criteria. Obviously, it is an exciting occasion for all and the fruition of a lot of effort.”
Trials were held ahead of Friday’s opener and champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea was pleased with the course. “Potentially, Al Ain is one of the best racecourses in the UAE — it is a beautiful track and we jockeys were all really impressed with the layout. It has a really long 600m straight and is a welcome addition to our fixture list.
“The surface is going to improve the more it is raced on and I am really looking forward to racing there.”
Each of Friday’s six races has attracted a strong field of 12. The feature race, a Dh120,000 1600m Conditions race, includes multiple Group 1 winner Fryvolous, now an 11-year-old veteran and winless since July 2009.
He is one of three in the race for champion trainer Ernst Oertel, whose first-choice jockey, O’Shea, chooses to ride Gali Rich, with Adrie De Vries aboard stable companion Richlore.
The only thoroughbred race on the card is a 1600m handicap in which O’Shea rides top-weight Intimidate for Beverley Deutrom. Silvestre de Sousa partners Colour Guard for Musabah Al Muhairi and the pair should be feared considering the trainer’s current run of form.
Paul Hanagan, retained jockey for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, partners Watheeq for his main employer. He was a dual winner at Sharjah earlier this season for Ali Rashid Al Raihe, while the Doug Watson-trained Hacienda looks to hold serious claims after an excellent second at Jebel Ali last week.
