MYSTIQUE MOON SHINES BRIGHT IN JEBEL ALI
MMystique Moon produced a compelling performance to win the Emirates Airline 1400m conditions race in the eighth race meeting at the Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday afternoon.
In the process, he recorded his second victory of the season, having scored in a 1700m handicap at Sharjah, on his penultimate start.
A dual winner for Godolphin on the all-weather when landing his first two career starts for Charlie Appleby in early 2017, the aforementioned Sharjah victory was his first since and on his second outing for Doug Watson and Mohd Khalifa Al Basti. Confidently ridden by Pat Dobbs, actually aboard the fiveyear-old Shamardal gelding for the first time, he made smooth progress at halfway before sprinting past Draco, who kept on well for second, passing the 300m pole after which the result was never in doubt.
“He has been working like a nice horse all season and won a nice race at Sharjah at the end of December before contesting a carnival handicap last time when the 2000m might have been a bit too far. Hopefully, we can find something for him at the carnival because it would be great to win with him there for Mr Al Basti,” said Watson.
Meanwhile, Dobbs said: “He hit the gates quickly today which he did not do at Meydan last time, so I was just happy to let him stride on which he enjoyed and then he really quickened nicely.”
Out of luck with Draco, the ‘home team’ of racecourse patron Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Nicholas Bachalard, who trains the owner’s horses on the Jebel Ali track and stable jockey Chris Hayes only had to wait 30 minutes for some compensation with the smooth success of Salayel in a 1200m conditions race for threeyear-olds.
“We have always liked this filly, but it took her a while to acclimatise,” Hayes said.
“From a bad draw she needed the experience badly at Meydan and we actually expected her to win last time, but we bumped into a good horse. She is only going to improve with time and experience because she is still strengthening up and hopefully is a nice filly for the future,” he added.
The opening 1950m maiden was won in determined fashion by Satish Seemar’s River Of Gold who, having tracked early leader Compliance throughout the first part of the race, was sent for home fully 300m out by Tadhg O’Shea, but only finally saw off that determined rival in the final 75m.
“He ran well here two starts ago and the hill suits him because he is a galloper, but does not really quicken which is why I was keen to be positive on him. He showed a great battling attitude there because Compliance was tough to get past,” O’Shea said.
Seemar added: “He does seem to prefer it here at Jebel Ali, so I imagine we will try and find another suitable race for him back here.”
Cape Of Eagles registered his third Jebel Ali victory, his total career tally of the season, with a relatively comfortable success in a 1950m handicap.
The 1800m handicap attracted just a field of four and only two of them ever really looked like winning with local debutant, Almushref, leading until Galles swept past 200m out to put the race to bed in a few strides under Royston Ffrench.
Arroway completed a double for trainer Sandeep Jadhav, scoring decisively in a 1600m handicap under Xavier Ziani. The finale, a 1000m handicap, was won by Alraased.