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| Staff Writer |
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Daramethos, trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri, made a remarkable comeback by winning the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes for the second consecutive year on the final day of the racing season.
Although the 6YO Sea The Stars gelding's performance was not as dominant as last year's, with only three-quarters of a length separating him from the runner-up, Al Mheiri was not concerned. He was pleased to reach the 30-win milestone, and Daramethos' triumph in this race was his first since his most notable victory.
Quip, ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and Book Review, ridden by Jose Santiago, set a blistering pace that quickly brought the field around Tobougg Corner and into the straight. However, the duo couldn't sustain the pace and started to fade rapidly after the 800m marker. Daramethos, who had been holding his position along the rail under Oscar Chavez, took advantage of this and gained the lead about 600m from the finish line.
As the climb started to take a toll on Daramethos, trained by Oscar Chavez, a duo of horses trained by Bhupat Seemar began to gain on him. King Ottoman, ridden by Pat Cosgrave, managed to reduce the deficit to just 0.75l at the finish line, while defending champion Tadhg O'Shea and Franz Strauss finished 2.5l behind in third place.
On the undercard, three contests with identical 1400m trips unfolded, starting with the Jebel Ali Distaff, a 3YO fillies' affair, which saw the hosts clinch victory. Michael Costa extended his lead at the summit of the UAE Trainers' Championship as Lahfaty, ridden by Ben Coen, surged to a two-length victory. Kibo Misaki, guided by Royston Ffrench for Salem bin Ghadayer, settled for second place. Le Faucon Maltais, trained by Seemar and ridden by O'Shea, finished third, trailing by another 2.5 lengths.
In the Al Wasl Classic for 3YO colts and geldings, Connor Beasley, a contender for the UAE Jockeys' Championship title, closed the gap to within three wins of the championship leader and defending champion O'Shea. Beasley secured his 42nd victory of the season riding Rasas.
In December, the 3YO World Of Trouble colt won a 1200m Conditions event for juveniles, and recently, he stunned everyone by winning another race. He changed gears smoothly and took the lead at the 200m pole before coasting home 0.75l clear of Quartier, who was ridden by Jose da Silva. Prima Summer, ridden by Gabriele Malune, finished 3.75l behind in third place. On the same card, Gabriele Malune won the Sukoon Takaful Stakes, a 0-100 handicap over 1000m, riding Marwan Al Baidhaei’s Major Cinnamon. Elusive Terry, trained by Seemar, was looking to stretch his unbeaten run to three but was held off by Major Cinnamon. Rashed Bouresly’s El Baareq came in third, three lengths behind under Pinheiro.
Al Tariq, trained by Doug Watson, won the Jebel Ali Classic with a short head victory over Yonafis, ridden by Coen. The 8YO Oasis Dream gelding's first win since January 2022 was secured under Pat Dobbs' guidance. Al Tariq's stablemate, Everfast, finished 1.25 lengths behind in third place under Sam Hitchcott.
The 1200m Wathba Stallions Cup 0-90 handicap for Purebred Arabians was the first race of Jebel Ali's last meeting of the season. The race was won by Najih, trained by Jaber Bittar and ridden by apprentice Qais Al Busaidi. In the final 200m, Najih challenged AF Marmuq, ridden by Ernst Oertel and jockeyed by O'Shea, and won the race by a length. AF Layth, ridden by Marcelino Rodrigues, another apprentice rider, finished third, 1.5 lengths behind.
The last race of the day, the Commercial Bank of Dubai Cup, was a 0-95 handicap over the 1600m strip, and it saw Olascoaga's El Patriota win his seventh race of the season. The 6YO Ecologo gelding, ridden by Da Silva, made a late move and won the race by a half-length. Arabian Tale, trained by Seemar and ridden by O'Shea, finished second. Justice Protocol, ridden by Sandro Paiva and trained by Ismail Mohammed, finished third, 0.75 lengths behind the winner.