Pentagonal smashes racecourse record

Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum consolidated his lead at the top of the owner's championship with an emphatic hat-trick at the Jebel Ali Racecourse yesterday, a feat highlighted by a record breaking performance from the promising colt Pentagonal. Sheikh Rashid's new all-black colours dazzled a big holiday crowd with Fine Fellow, Khafaaq and Pentagonal winning the first three races in a competitive six-event card.

But the star performance came from the Willie Supple ridden Pentagonal who set a new course record while winning the Dh350,000 Jebel Ali Stakes (Listed) in a sensational three-horse finish.

Pentagonal won by the bob of head at the wire to better the course record for 9.75 furlongs set by Jarah just this March. Pentagonal was timed at one minute 57.87 seconds, while Jarah had set a time of 1:58.79. Two-time champion jockey Supple also revelled in the afternoon sun, scoring a hat-trick of wins with Pentagonal, Sicnee and Kharir.

"It's great to win a hat-trick, particularly at this course, which has so many happy memories for me," said Supple who moved into double figures yesterday. Pentagonal owed his success to an enterprising ride from Supple, who knows the Jebel Ali track like the back of his hand, having formerly been retained by Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Head of Dubai Police and Public Security.

Jalaab and favourite River's Curtain were battling it out for the lead inside the final furlong when Supple brought Pentagonal, who was formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute in England, with a rattling run on the stand-side rails to snatch victory by half a length. Jalaab, the mount of Richard Hills, hung on for second place ahead of the former Godolphin colt River's Curtain, ridden by Seb Sanders for Frenchman Erwan Charpy.

"He seems to be improving with every race," said Supple commenting on Pentagonal who only seven days earlier won over 10furlongs at Nad Al Sheba. "He's proved he's a very tough and very genuine horse." Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains Pentagonal, said, "It's not the ideal race to put him in, considering he'd run just last week. But in the end it worked out well. He's a solid horse."

An equally solid performance came from another former Godolphin horse, Sicnee, in a 0-90 mile. A consistent performer in the UK last season before shipping out to Dubai, the four-year-old son of Rubiano met with little success in three previous UAE starts. Yesterday, however, he rediscovered his top form that included a close second place to Emirates World Series champion Fantastic Light at Sandown Park in 1998.

Also returning to form was erstwhile sprint specialist Kharir, who won his last race just over a year ago at Nad Al Sheba. The Supple ridden son of Machiavellian, who is accredited with a second place to Epsom Derby hopeful Entrepreneur as a two-year-old in Chester, shook off a string of losses to win a competitive sprint from Archive, ridden by Darragh O'Donohoe for Selvaratnam, and Moonis, the mount of Richard Hills.

Earlier in the afternoon the Ted Durcan-Satish Seemar combination prised out back-to-back wins with Fine Fellow and Khafaaq in races over an identical five furlongs.