Enthralling contest in the offing

The Frankfurt Racing Club today hosts the fifth running of the Emirates Challenge Stakes, sponsored by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry.

A total of 43,000 Euros in prize money is on offer in the six-race card, which is confined to Purebred Arabians.

The pictureseque course, located at a 10-minute drive from downtown Frankfurt, is expecting a bumper crowd for the meeting, which has attracted runners from all over Europe.

The feature of the programme is the 15,000 Euros Emirates Challenge Stakes over 2,150 metres.

Eleven runners are set to go to post including the Gill Duffield-trained pair Nadjel and Athlas, who both race in the famous blue and white colours of Sheikh Hamdan. The latter will be partnered by English rider Gary Hind, who makes the trip from Newmarket.

The French-bred son of Djelfor is expected to run a big race for Hind, who was recently appointed as first jockey to Allan Smith, who will be training for Major General Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Head of Dubai Police and Public Security, at Jebel Ali next season in the UAE.

Athlas comes into today's contest having finished second behind his stable companion Nadjel, who renews rivarly today in his latest outing at Fakenham in mid-June over 3,250m.

Athlas is yet to lose his maiden tag, but is open to improvement having not raced since finishing fifth for Richard Hills in a contest at Newbury nearly 11 months ago.

Nadjel, a seven-year-old son of Djelfor, bids to complete a treble having earlier won at Stratford in September last year. Despite having been out of action since that race this French-bred gives Duffiled and Sheikh Hamdan a major chance to lift the prize.

The biggest danger to the Sheikh Hamdan pair is the four-year-old Paraodx, a Dutch-bred son of Kesberoy. He has an outstanding record and in seven racecourse appearances has only been out of the frame once. The Dutch Derby, which he won earlier in the month, was his biggest victory to date.

Another that must be considered is the bottom-weight French-bred Ain Shabanc. The five-year-old daughter of Manganate is lightly raced winning one of her three racecourse appearances in her homeland.

Ain Shabanc will be reunited with Paul Roberts, who was successful aboard the mare when recording her only victory at Duindigit over 1,900m in April.

Forty minutes earlier seven runners are set to face the starter for the final round of the Sheikh Hamdan Triple Competition.

This 2,150m contest, with a prizefund of 8,000 Euros, should be won by Neyrah El Samawi, a four-year-old daughter of Aksel.

She bids to sweep the series having won the last two legs in good style and it will be a surprise if she gets turned over by any of her six rivals.

The affable Gary Hind could complete a double with his mount Lucens in the 7,000 Euros Shadwell International Cup, the penultimate race on the card.

This event over a distance of one-mile is confined to three-year-olds. Lucens an unraced French-bred has been well touted and gets the vote from the Sport-Welt. the German weekly racing paper.