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| Staff Writer |
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Heros De Lagarde's decision to participate in the Emirates Championship in Abu Dhabi proved to be a successful one, as the impressive grey horse won Gr.1 with a stunning performance. The 7YO had recently come in second in Gr. 2 at Meydan, but showed no signs of fatigue and won comfortably in Abu Dhabi.
Guided by his regular jockey Connor Beasley, Heros De Lagarde was ridden patiently and confidently throughout the 2200m race. The horse performed brilliantly, and despite facing some competition towards the end, it won comfortably.
Bahwan managed to secure the second position, with Ajrad Athbah finishing third. The horse's trainer, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami, was pleased with the win and credited Beasley's excellent riding skills for the victory.
“He travelled around there lovely, and the only slight concern was the step back up in trip,” said Beasley.
“However, I had a lovely run up the rail which probably saved me a few lengths and won me the race to be honest.
“We had a nice clean run through, and I could put his turn of foot to good use. He was obviously backing up quickly enough after his run at Meydan, but he was impressive again today and has had a really good season.
“It’s all systems go for the Dubai World Cup meeting now and we’ll keep our head down and keep kicking until then.”
The first race of the day was quite eventful as RB Bestevah, ridden by Adrie De Vries, suddenly deviated from his path to the left, causing Charlie Bennett from Al Barq to lose control and fall off. This unexpected turn of events handed the win to HM Jazi, ridden by Oscar Chavez and trained by Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
Chavez's excellent form continued and he rode his horse to victory, beating Munir, ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and trained by Majed Al Jahoori, who finished third, three-quarters of a length behind. Despite Al Barq being out of the race, Chavez managed to secure the win by a length, taking advantage of RB Bestevah's wayward behavior.
Fortunately, Bennett was not injured by the intense event and made a remarkable comeback in the fourth race. He rode Unlimited, a mare, to a hard-fought victory in the 0-85 mares and fillies handicap for Jaber Bittar, who is in good form. Despite facing stiff competition from Shurooq Al Wathba, another runner who performed admirably under the jockey/trainer duo of Bernardo Pinheiro and Majed Al Jahoori, Bennett's determined partner was able to resist the challenge and win the race.
“I thought I had a couple of good chances today, but obviously things didn’t quite go to plan in the first race!” quipped Bennett.
“I knew this filly would run well as she won well here the other day and her stable has her in great order now.
“My filly is better over a bit further, so she was a bit flat out all the way. But I knew if I kept at her she would keep finding and that was the case, she did it well in the end.”
Pat Dobbs guided Winds Of Fortune, trained by Doug Watson, to a 2200m 0-75 handicap win, making up for a close loss at the Capital venue in the previous month. The win was particularly meaningful for Alan Kirshner and Deborah Mihaloff, owners of the horse and also a successful breeding operation in the US called Cre Run Farm, who were emotional after the victory.
“I’m delighted Winds Of Fortune won for Alan and Deb as Alan hasn’t been well and I know this will mean a lot to them,” said Watson.
Despite losing her whip during the race, Malin Holmberg, a rider from Sweden, showed great composure and skill to encourage AF Rasam to surge ahead in the final moments of race three, clinching the 0-85 handicap win over stablemate AF Ghayyar, ridden by Charlie Bennett. The thrilling sprint to the finish line resulted in a narrow victory for the 7YO horse, securing a 1-2 finish for trainer Erns Oertel and owner Khalida Khalifa Al Nabooda. This was Holmberg's third victory in the UAE.
“I didn’t need the whip in the end and thankfully my horse really wanted to win and beat our rival so I’m grateful he tried so hard,” said a delighted Holmberg.
Eye On The Prize, trained by Julio Olascoaga and ridden by Jose Da Silva, made a quick comeback to the track and reduced the distance to 1400m. The 4YO horse, owned by HKK Racing, won the 0-80 Thoroughbred handicap race in style.
Olascoaga was pleased with the performance and said that the horse looked very impressive and dominated the race nicely.
Eye On The Prize beat Ra's Al Hadd (ridden by Sandro Paiva and trained by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami) by a snug length, while Chef De Partie (ridden by Richard Mullen and trained by Mohammed Mardood) finished third, one-and-a-half lengths behind the winner.
In another race, Allaia Tiar won his fifth race of the season by riding AF Yeheeb to a hard-fought victory in the 0-70 PA 1600m handicap. The horse was trained by Khalifa Al Neyadi.