Draco maintains the magic with Jebel Ali feature
DUBAI: The penultimate Jebel Ali ixture of 2018 on Friday afternoon, a 1600m conditions race restricted to 3-year-olds, was won emphatically by Draco, who was never headed under Chris Hayes for racecourse patron, Sheikh ahmed bin rash id alma k to um.
Trained on the Jebel Ali track by Nicholas Bachalard, Draco had impressed when winning a similar conditions event on his local debut over 1400 ma month ago, but seemingly built on that here, under a penalty for that victory, to land the spoils and maintain his unbeaten UAE record.
A 3-year-old Astrology colt, he has actually won his three most recent starts having landed a maiden over 1100m at Gulfstream Park on his third and final US outing in September last year.
Always racing generously for Hayes, he was only asked for an effort entering the final 400m, quickening stylishly and his jockey was able to glance over his shoulder at the 200m pole, by which time the race was effectively over. Hayes, who sadly missed the win a month ago due to a family bereavement, was clearly impressed and enthused: “It was my first time riding him in a race, so we decided this morning to ride him positively to see if he actually stays the 1600m and he certainly has because I could not pull him up. What really impressed me though was his attitude because he is so relaxed but then, when I asked him, he really quickened in style.
A good quality 1400m handicap looked competitive on paper but that proved not to be the case with only two of a final field of ten, after both Lytham St Annes and Final Reckoning were withdrawn at the start, ever really looking like winning. Well away, Tadbir was sent straight to the head of affairs by Dane O’neill with Rocket Power and Connor Beasley in their slipstream.
With most rivals beaten off just after halfway, Beasley rousted his mount to lead about 425m from home and they never looked likely to be denied with a game effort.