Double triumph for Hamdan in Newbury
newbury — Day one saw some extremely promising performances –— dominated by owner Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, his trainer John Gosden and jockeys Paul Hanagan and Dane O’Neill.
Pride of place went to Shaikh Hamdan’s Muwaary who was followed home by Zarwaan in the same owner’s second colours in the £19,000 Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises Handicap, over seven furlongs and for three-year-olds.
Muwaary who had won his only race as a two-year-old started favourite and looked to be well weighted. Zarwaan, trained by Ed Dunlop, had a similar record and had won on the same day last year as Muwaary and was set to give him 10lb. The weight difference proved decisive.
Hanagan is first jockey to Shaikh Hamdan and he appeared to make the wrong choice in the first race when Kibaar, his pick of the two runners in blue colours with the white epaulettes, finished behind Kasb and Dane O’Neill in the second colours of Shaikh Hamdan.
Once again the winner was trained by John Gosden who pointed out that Kasb’s sire Arcano had also won first time out, also at Newbury and that he himself had trained the winner of the Al Basti Equiworld Maid- en Stakes twice before. Kasb was Gosden’s first two-year-old runner of the season and he summed up the thrilling performance — the colt burst through his field after being left five lengths at the start — with the words, ‘He’s got talent. He’s cheeky but he’s learning and he’ll improve over six furlongs.’
The £15,000 Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup Conditions Stakes over ten furlongs for three-yearolds was another Gosden triumph, this time through comfortable winner Western Hymn, ridden by his stable jockey William Buick and part-owned by the trainer’s partner Rachel Hood.
Western Hymn has an Epsom Derby entry but while Gosden was delighted with the performance he emphasised, ‘This colt is still immature and before we get ahead of ourselves we will probably have a look at something like the Sandown Classic Trial and then start making definite plans.’
Like Muwaary, Western Hymn started favourite and is in the same bracket — an unexposed horse with his future ahead of him. The concluding DDF sponsorship of the day was a £19,000 sprint handicap for four year olds and upwards over five furlongs. It too was won in some style, by Lucky Beggar for trainer Charlie Hills and Western Hymn’s jockey William Buick.