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| Rowan Anderson |
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Trainer Doug Watson will look to extend his stronghold on the Trainer Championship race for the season with two hopes in the only race for thoroughbreds tonight.
He trained a treble over the weekend which boosted his stocks on the ladder and this opportunity will only serve as further opportunity.
Abu Dhabi hosts a six-race card with the last on the night being the Jebel Haffet handicap run over 1600m and worth AED $80,000.
Attracting a small field of seven runners Watson enters this race atop of the championship ladder only five wins clear of Ernst Oertel and seven clear of Bhupat Seemar.
In this contest he prepares Silver Jubilee and Bawaasil with the latter being the eldest of the field as well as the most tried and tested of the bunch.
The 8YO gelded son of Oasis Dream is owned by Shadwell has had two appearances this season in the UAE with a 7th an 8th placing and not having won since April 2021.
His stablemate Silver Jubilee is half his age and won two starts ago by four lengths over Quality Humour in turn breaking his maiden in Jebel Ali. He returns to the track having raced 41 days ago at Meydan for a 12th finish and Pat Dobbs has been retained for the ride.
The top-rated hope is prepared by Uruguayan Julio Olascoaga and is 4YO colt Perfect Love who has a career form of 12 starts for three wins and a further four placings.
The remainder of the field is rounded out by Ahmad bin Harmash’s gelding Al Maysan, the Bhupat Seemar trained 4YO Western Writer, Salem bin Ghadayer’s Kaheall and the 5YO gelding Nibras Passion prepared by Ismail Mohammed.
The meeting is the second for the season held by Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and will be officially highlighted by a pair of Classics for four-year-old Pure Arabians, both carrying Prestige status over 1400m, ably supported with proven quality performers in the 2200m prep for HH The President Cup.
The Prep race for the HH The President Cup is race three and is run over the same 2200m as the Group One feature itself.
Somoud is the top-rated hope here and as trainer Jean de Roualle will tell you he is the star of his stable for a reason and the 9YO will showcase why that is when he looks to make it three HH President Cup’s running.
Now a 9yo, these are his optimum conditions and he does seem to produce his very best in the second half of the season so he should at least be competitive
Homebred by Yas Racing, the conditions are perfect for his hopes here after he ran third in the Al Basrah in November and fourth in the Group One Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown.
Race four will see the girls have their shot in the Abu Dhabi Fillies’ Classic and Muram, officially rated 84 after three starts last year, winning the middle one, a 1200m Sharjah maiden, at the end of November, looks to hold major claims.
Trained by Jaber Bittar for Al Reef Stables, she was then far from disgraced when fourth, on her turf debut, in the 1600m Listed Abu Dhabi Championship, won by the same connections’ Unleashed. Tadhg O’Shea, who rode the winner on that occasion, takes the ride.