Abu Dhabi: Trainer Ernst Oertel was mightily pleased with the twin success he achieved along with jockey Tadhg O’Shea in the opening meeting of 2013 at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday.
While two of his fillies — Shayel Aldhabi and Wycked — made it a 1-2 and left the boys behind in the featured Arabian Triple Crown Round 1, what was more pleasing to the Al Asayl Stables handler was the return to form of Seraphin Du Paon.
Shayel Aldhabi, under O’Shea, won the feature event after starting from a very difficult draw, while Seraphin Du Paon, a Kahayla Classic winner and President’s Cup winner in 2011, got back to winning ways finishing ahead of a quality field in the Prep race for the President’s Cup.
“I am very happy with Seraphin Du Paon’s win,” said Oertel. “He is labelled a ‘people’s horse’ and we are all happy. He is a good horse though the last time out he missed his start and did not run well.
“We will next take him to the President’s Cup [Group 1] and then the Kahayla Classic if all goes well.”
The trainer also has Fryvolous, another Kahayla Classic winner, who is expected to run next week.
Commenting on Shayel Aldhabi’s win, Oertel said: “She is a very impressive horse. She had a terrible trip. She came wide, she got bumped. In fact, the jockey [O’Shea] said he did not know how she won because everything went bad and she still won.”
Apart from the double for Oertel and O’Shea, Eric Lemartinel’s AF Sanadek under Gerald Avranche registered his sixth consecutive success and third this season. “He has done that nicely enough but is going to be a better horse on an even faster surface. Hopefully there is more to come from him,” the winning jockey said.
In the only only Thoroughbred race of the night, the Doug Watson-trained Mantoba under Kieren Fallon claimed a start-to-finish victory while Prime D’Or finally broke her maiden tag on her 10th attempt when under Saber Trabeisi, the 5-year-old bay mare winning the Wathba Stud Farm Cup.
