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| Sumita Pawar |
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In the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial, Ma Yetal proved his worth by showcasing the potential he had promised during his impressive debut win at Jebel Ali.
The colt sired by Flameaway and trained by Michael Costa was ridden by Ben Coen in this race. Despite a rating of 103 from his previous impressive 13 3/4 length victory, the colt had to put in extra effort this time. He found himself in a tight spot when turning for home, unable to make any progress. However, with some effort, he managed to get out of the tricky situation and sprint towards the finish line. Quartier, ridden by Jose Da Silva, gave him a tough competition by making continuous progress from the back.
“I knew I had the horse under me, but he didn’t do much when he was in the lead and it can be quite a scary place when you’re alone in front – he had a good look around,” said Coen.
“He’s a very straightforward horse and a pleasure to have in the stable,” added Costa. “He’s got a lot of maturity for a horse his age and I think he’ll improve for the step up to a mile.”
During the closing Azizi Riviera Handicap, Salem Bin Ghadayer's Made In Dubai triumphed over Royal Dubai, with Sari Dubai finishing fourth, in a thrilling race. Local owners had a good night, and commentator Pat Comerford exclaimed "Dubais everywhere!" to describe the race.
With jockey Mickael Barzalona's guidance, Made In Dubai secured a length and a quarter victory, marking his third career win and second this season. Meydan Racecourse will host its sixth meeting of the season next week, on Friday, 12th January, featuring the co-feature races of the AED300,000 Lord North Handicap and Al Wasl Stakes.