Dubai: Jockey Tadhg O’Shea has not one, but six chances of making UAE racing history at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday night after having picked up some promising rides for trainer Satish Seemar’s Zabeel Stables.
O’Shea needs just one winner to overtake Richard Hills as the most successful jockey to have ever ridden in the Emirates since racing first began in 1992.
The skilful Irishman equalled Hills’ long-standing mark of 503 winners at Abu Dhabi last Sunday and is now poised on the brink of toppling him from his distinguished perch.
503
A record-equalling number of winners Tadhg O’Shea has notched up so farO’Shea first came to the Emirates in 2001 as an apprentice and has since gone on to carve out a niche for himself as a jockey, who is equally at home aboard thoroughbreds and Arabians.
All eyes will be on the six-time UAE champion jockey when he makes his way into the parade ring at Meydan’s concluding domestic meeting ahead of the Dubai World Cup on March 30.
Of his six rides First Down, a horse who he will partner for the first time in the second race of the evening at 7.05pm, appears to be his best chance of rewriting the record.
Thursday’s seven-race card, sponsored by CNN, is highlighted by a pair of Dh190,000 handicaps where Seemar-schooled runners look to have leading chances.
Beachcomber Bay, the mount of Richard Mullen, is looking for a third success of the season and second successive one at Meydan when he lines up in the CCN Business Handicap over 1,200 metres.
The Zabeel Stables boss is also strongly represented in the CC Travel handicap over a mile with George Villiers (Mullen), who has a course and distance victory over several of the other runners in the race.
