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| Sumita Pawar |
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In the HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup at Sharjah, Laasudood, belonging to Shadwell, was deprived of a well-deserved victory when Street Mood, ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro, made a late surge to claim the prestigious Thoroughbred feature race.
Laasudood and Jim Crowley looked to be on their way to victory in the famous Shadwell silks as they turned for home, but Pinheiro and his mount had other ideas. Despite scraping the inside rail throughout the 1700m feature, Pinheiro's horse picked up speed and surged to the front, winning by a length and a half. Bhupat Seemar's runner-up, Al Nefud, beat Street Mood by 19 lengths in the Dubai Creek Mile back in November, so the form took a handsome boost.
Trainer Eric Lemartinel and rider Jules Mobian had a successful afternoon at Sharjah, recording a double. Nibraas won the Sharjah Police Headquarters Handicap (0-75 1700m), beating Hakeem Al Izz and Ares De Gion. Tahhan Al Wathba secured the second victory for the trainer/jockey combination in the closing 1700m maiden.
Saint Assalam, ridden by Connor Beasley for trainer Ibrahim Al Hadhrami, won the 0-70 1200m handicap for Purebred Arabians, while AF Al Badee, ridden by Tadgh O'Shea and trained by Ernst Oertel, won the Al-Bataeh Municipality maiden (2000m). Idylik El Alhem, ridden by Qais Al Busaidi, won the Sharjah Sports 0-65 Handicap (2000m) in a close finish, beating Inato De Carrere and Pinheiro by a neck.