Treasured Times impresses but Oertel and Al Ghurair share capital’s spotlight
Trainer Rashed Bouresly was not present to see his first winner of the season but his jockey, Connor Beasley, was all praise for Treasured Times as an “exciting young” horse.
The Teofilo colt was an impressive winner of the Thoroughbred Maiden at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club yesterday.
Beasley burst through the middle of the pack to win the 1,600-metre Al Shamkha, the fourth race on the card, by twoand-a-quarter lengths from the Satish Seemar-trained King’s Shadow under Patrick Cosgrave.
Wonder of Dubai with Emirati apprentice jockey Saeed Al Mazrooei atop a farther length behind in third.
Treasured Times made his racecourse debut was a decent fourth behind Storyboard on the dirt at Meydan 10 days ago.
“He ran a good race at Meydan in a competitive maiden and it was good to get one on the board for the connections,” said Beasley, who was atop the four-year-old chestnut on that occasion, too.
“He’s come here and learnt a lot from his first run. He did it in a very professional way today.
“This one can progress further from this run. I don’t know where he would go next but obviously he’s done everything right today.
“He’s improved a lot and can only improve again. So hopefully onwards and upwards.
“He’s run well on the dirt and he’s just won on turf. It’s only his second run so obviously he’s still learning. He went early and did the job nicely to win the race pretty well.”
Saleha Al Ghurair, the first licensed Emirati female racehorse trainer, celebrated her first win of the season when apprentice jockey Adam McLean came with a late run aboard La Yfootkum in Race 5 to clinch the Wathba Stallions Cup.
“Of course I’m very happy,” she said.
“I knew this was a turf horse and being a race for horses that has never won provided me the opportunity.” Ernst Oertel saddled the winners in the first two races under two different jockeys – Antonio Fresu on board AF Motaghatres and Silvestre de Sousa astride AF Maher.
“Abu Dhabi has always been my favourite track and I get upset when I don’t race my horses here,” said Oertel, who has saddled nine of his 17 winners at the capital’s track for the season.
It was the fifth win in 11 races for AF Maher, but Oertel said he is still has a long way to go after claiming the handicap rated 55-80 over 1,400m in Race 2 with De Sousa in the saddle.
“Still no plans, but I hopefully the handicapper doesn’t put much on him,” the South African said.
“Hopefully he can improve further but still he’s still got a long way to go.
“The season is going well for me.
“I have been consistent with the strike rate and that keeps me happy.”
Jockey Royston Ffrench took the third race on the Khalifa Al Neyadi-trained AF Sanad, and De Sousa rounded off the evening by claiming the concluding prize to complete a double on the card atop Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s AF Mahshoum.
Abu Dhabi has always been my favourite track and I get upset when I don’t race my horses here ERNST OERTEL