Group winners take to Meydan
dubai — Muarrab, the $2m Dubai Golden Shaheen Champion, gets his title-defence season under way at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday with an appearance in the Listed Garhoud Sprint sponsored by Lincoln Continental.
That 1200m Golden Shaheen victory on Dubai World Cup night 2016 was the highlight of Muarrab’s impressive 13 career victories, 11 of which have been registered in the UAE since joining Musabbeh Al Mheiri at Oasis Stables.
The seven-year-old gelding’s winning portfolio also includes a Jebel Ali Sprint in 2015, as well as Super Saturday’s Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal last season over Thursday’s course and distance, as well landing The Garhoud Sprint 12 months ago.
One of three in the race sporting the colours of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, he is the choice of the owner’s retained jockey, Dane O’Neill, but is far from ideally drawn out wide in stall 11 of the 12 runners.
Muarrab, as a Group 1 winner also carries an additional weight penalty.
“It is not a great draw and he carries a penalty,” said O’Neill. “However, he goes well fresh and is tactically versatile so, hopefully, we can overcome the draw and maintain my perfect record on him; I have ridden him twice in a race, winning both times.”
The only runner drawn wider than Muarrab is the same owner’s Ghaamer, trained by Ali Rashid Al Rayhi and the mount of stable jockey, Tadhg O’Shea.
“We are drawn next to the horse we all have to beat, Muarrab,” said O’Shea. “I won on Ghaamer on the first night of the Dubai World Cup Carnival in January and we think he will run well in a very good sprint.”
However they fare in that speed test, Al Rayhi and O’Shea will hope their Le Bernardin can emulate his victory of 12 months ago in the second of three Listed contests on the night, the Dubai Creek Mile, Sponsored by Lincoln MKZ.
Al Rayhi’s charge then followed up in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 on the same Dubai World Cup Carnival night on which Ghaamer won.