Watson for Abu Dhabi success

The HH President’s Cup, for Arabians, headlines the seven-race card on Abu Dhabi’s biggest day of their season tomorrow. The Group 1 event, worth AED 4.5m (R23m), over 2200m has attracted a maximum field of 14 and looks open.

First Classs, trained by Doug Watson, bids to give Red Stables another major prize, seven days after Colour Up won the Jebel Ali Sprint. The US-bred gelding is a proven Group 1 performer, enjoying success at the highest level in Qatar and the UAE.

He joined Watson at the start of the season and made a solid comeback when fifth behind the Qatar trained Abbes in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Triple Crown at Abu Dhabi. Switched to dirt at Meydan, First Class was fourth in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round II, staying on one-paced in the closing stages.

First Classs returns to a track he has enjoyed Group 1 success and should be in the mix in the hands of Pat Dobbs.

Lightly raced Al Riffaa, representing France and is the sole European challenger, is a useful Arabian and ran well in defeat in the Qatar Arabian Derby in December, his first start in the Middle East. Rated 113, he doesn’t need to find much on the ratings on his UAE debut and has the services of Andre de Vries, an eyecatching booking by Francois Rohaut.

A solid case can be made for highly progressive Alarqam, who is having his first start on grass and is trained by Musabbeh Al Mheiri. Winner of two of his three races, he is ideally berthed next to the rails and was only denied by Barakka, beaten 1.50 lengths in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round II last month.