Drafted defeats Ibn Malik in thrilling Garhoud Sprint
DUBAI: Racing at Meydan card was an action-packed evening on Thursday, highlighted by the featured Garhoud Sprint (Listed), sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, which featured a thrilling inish as Doug Watson-trained Drafted ran down dirt-debuting Ibn Malik in the inal yards of the 1200m affair. The win was the second on the evening for the combination of said trainer and jockey Sam Hitchcott, who teamed up to win the opener—the Lincoln MKZ Trophy handicap over 2000m—with locally debuting Powderhouse.
Finishing up in a solid time of 1:11.86, the bargain Racing in Dubai Sale DHSAED 40,000 purchase won by a measured nose over his Musabbeh Al Mheiri-trained runner-up, giving owner Misty Hollow Farm its third win from its last five Meydan starts with the Canadian-bred son of Field Commission.
The three arguably highest regarded in the field—group 3 winner Kimbear, track recordsetting Raven’s Corner and the fleet-footed frontrunner High on Life—filled out the following three spots in what was a fitting Dubai World Cup Carnival prep for both the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes on Jan. 3 and Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 on Jan. 10.
Watson, who also saddled Kimbear and seventh-place Almanaara, said: “He was missing the break a bit last season, so we decided to take the visor off and he has broken much better today.
“Sam has given him a great ride and timed his challenge perfectly. Drafted has probably tired in the final stages, but hung on gamely. Kimbear has also run very well over this shorter trip and that should put him spot on for the first round of the Maktoum Challenge in five weeks. Drafted will go on to the Dubawi.”
As for Powderhouse’s maidenbreaking victory—a race that was delayed when J Be Space broke through the gate and lost his saddle and jockey (Richard Mullen) en route to being withdrawn—hitchcott was pleased with his hardclosing effort, saying: “Having been off the track since August last year, hopefully he can build on that, both in terms of fitness and experience.”