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| Staff Writer |
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Eastern World is on track to win the bonus for being the winner of both legs of the Emirates Sprint Series. The Dubawi gelding, Trained by Ahmad bin Harmash, impressively won the HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup, which was the first leg of the series held at Sharjah on Sunday afternoon.
The first start of the season for Bhupat Seemar’s Gr.3 Al Shindagha Sprint winner Tuz was highly anticipated, with the champion jockey on board and high hopes for a win. Despite getting bumped heavily soon after the gates opened, Tuz seemed on track to justify the confidence placed in him. However, Bin Harmash’s Eastern World, a former winner of the Gr.3 Mahab Al Shimaal, had other plans. Gabriele Malune kept him alert throughout the race and asked for a gargantuan effort in the final. Once he received his orders, Eastern World extended fully to hit the front a from the finish and win by a length. Tuz came in second, with last year’s Emirates Sprint Series champion, Road Bloc, a distant seven-and-three-quarters lengths behind in third.
The HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup was the only Thoroughbred contest on the card, with the Purebred Arabian feature event - the HH The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup - a Conditions event run over the same strip. Majed Al Jahoori’s Bassam Al Wathba, ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro, finished with a length-and-a-quarter to spare from Al Zafy, with Barghash a further length adrift in third for Ibrahim Al Hadhrami and Connor Beasley.
Beasley dominated the undercard, adding a brace to his seasonal tally, which now stands at 14. The English rider first won the Al Ferdous Cup maiden aboard Ibrahim Al Hadhrami’s Jawhar, who made a winning lunge on the line to deny Jaber Bittar’s Game Time by a neck, with Nisreen Al Wathba further behind the pair in third for Trainer Eric Lemartinel and Jules Mobian. Beasley completed his scoring for the afternoon when guiding Abdallah Al Hammadi’s Majdi in the Palma Spring Cup 2000m handicap (0-80), which was won by a length-and-a-quarter from Taajer. A further neck adrift in third was Munawir Baynounah for trainer Saif Almarar and Oscar Chavez.
Royston Ffrench enjoyed a third win of the campaign guiding Irfan Ellahi’s JAP Awqat to victory in the card-opening Dubai Creek Tower Cup 1200m maiden. The pair put the race to bed at perhaps the halfway stage, with second-placed Rasikh Al Wathba finishing six-and-three-quarters of a length behind for Jean-Claude Pecout and Ryan Curatolo. A further three lengths behind in third was Ramiz Al Wathba for Lemartinel and Jesus Rosales.
Frenchman Pecout might have been denied in the opener, but he made a winning return in the subsequent Al Yasmmeen Cup, another 1200m maiden. Nahla Al Wathba, guided expertly by Adrie de Vries, held on to victory by a short head in a race which saw his Al Jahoori-schooled Al Wathba Racing teammate Shurooq Al Wathba take second in the command of Pinheiro. Qaiss Aboud’s Al Delhab, Leandro Chimenes up, finished third, a further two lengths in arrears.