Rocking the show

Dubai: Owner Fathi Esaed Mohammad Egziama took a major step towards completing an unprecedented sweep of the three major races run at Jebel Ali Racecourse when he saw his colours carried to victory by Russian Rock in the prep race for the Jebel Ali Sprint.

Egziama, a Libyan national with business interests in the UAE, won the Jebel Ali Mile and Jebel Ali Stakes with Treble Jig, a bargain purchase in England, and now finds himself with a big chance of winning the Jebel Ali Sprint, which is the third of three Listed races that are the racecourse's highlights of the season.

The enthusiastic Egziama was at one point flirting with the idea of running Trebel Jig, who is at best a middle-distance horse, in the Sprint, before he categorically ruled it out.

"I don't want the horse to get hurt, he's not a sprinter," he said last week. "It will be asking too much of him if we drop him to 1,000m. It was a crazy idea, but it did cross my mind, even if only briefly."

Yesterday, Egziama was thrilled following Russian Rock's compelling victory at Jebel Ali and was relishing the prospect of completing a big-race sweep at the racecourse which is celebrating it's 20th anniversary.

We'll be back

"We always believed that this horse had something special to offer, and he showed us today what a good sprinter he is," said Egziama. "We campaigned him at Meydan after he won in December, but I think he's a much better horse at this track. We'll be back to challenge for the Sprint."

Ridden by champion jockey Wayne Smith, the five-year-old son of Rock Of Gibraltar producing a rattling run on the stand-side rails to win by a length-and-three-quarters from Fityaa, ridden by Tadha O'Shea for trainer Musabah Al Muhair, while top-weight Mujaazef was a further length-and-three-quarters back in third under Richard Hills.

Course specialist Kilt Rock, bidding for a fifth success at the track after being narrowly touched off on his last start, failed to produce his usual sparkle and finished sixth for the Ryan Moore-Doug Watson partnership.

Watson, however, was not denied his share of success, when Mushreq comfortably landed the Commercial Bank of Dubai handicap under Richard Hills, to give the handler his 29th win of the season.

Emirati handler Musabah Al Muhairi, who trains Russian Rock, completed an afternoon double when Youm Mutaimiez won the Emirates Airline Handicap.

Former champion trainers Erwan Charpy and Satish Seemar also picked up some well-deserved wins.

Emirati apprentice Abdullah Al Mansouri won his first race when partnering Charpy's Aqmaar to win the Arabian Scandinavian Insurance Co handicap by a head from Ancien Regime, the mount of James Doyle.

Seemar notched his 14th win of the season courtesy of Moonlight Dash, who was a rousing five-and-a-half length winner of the concluding Al Hadaiba Contracting Maiden.