Dubai: World Endurance champion trainer Esmail Mohammad demonstrated the richness and versatility of his gifts as a horseman, when he saddled a brace of thoroughbred winners at Thursday night’s Gulf News-sponsored race meeting at Meydan.
Mohammad, who prepares his string of racehorses at the Millennium 2 Stables in Nad Al Sheba, won races on both ends of the card to match former champion trainer Doug Watson’s feat of saddling a double on the night.
The talented Emirati handler is perhaps best known on the world endurance circuit as the man behind the all-powerful MRM Stables which has produced several global champions and most notably the Purebred Arabian Yamamah, winner of the gold medal at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy last year.
Thursday’s double, courtesy Murasil in the Radio I Maiden and Respect Me in the Property Weekly Handicap, were Mohammad’s first winners of the season on the flat.
“We have some nice horse in the stable and we are looking forward to seeing how they develop over the season,” Mohammad said.
“It’s always nice to win your first races of the new season and I was very pleased with how Murasil and Respect Me ran. These are still early days but we hope to find some horses who can compete at the Carnival next year.”
Meanwhile, Watson’s quest to put together a team of horses for the Carnival received a big boost with exciting prospects My Catch and One Man Band delivering strong performances to land the two richest races of the night.
Stable jockey Pat Dobbs, who rode three winners on the night, was in the saddle as My Catch powered away from his rivals to win the 1200m Dh165,000 Gulf News Handicap with relative ease.
My Catch was recording a second here in the UAE, having won the Listed Meydan Classic, over 1400m on turf, in February last year.
“We knew he was in good form and working well on dirt,” said Watson. “Last year he went to Europe in the summer but he had a nice break this time and it has done him the power of good.
“Winning on the dirt gives us plenty more options at the Dubai World Cup Carnival.”
Perhaps the standout winner on the night was One Man Band who made all the running to win the 1600m Dh165,000 Inside Out handicap under a composed Dobbs.
“He is a nice horse,” said Watson. “Last year he improved a lot from his first run and he has done the same again here.
“The small field helped and he was able to get to the lead without taking too much out of himself.
“We always thought he had the potential to be a Carnival horse and hopefully he will be competitive there. We may look for another race before then but there is not much for him.”
In-form jockey Dane O’Neill had a promising books of rides but had to be content with just the one success, delivered by the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trainer Kifaah in the Radio 2 Handicap over 1200m.
However, it was enough to ensure that the British-born jockey became the sole leader of the jockey’s championship at that point of time with eight wins.
