American Watson moves to second in Top Trainers list

dubai — American handler Doug Watson moved to second in the Top Trainers standings after saddling five winners in the final race meeting of the year at the Meydan Racecourse, ahead of January’s Dubai World Cup Carnival.

Watson, bidding for a seventh UAE Champion Trainer title after notching the accolade in the 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 201718 seasons, closed out the year with five victories in seven races to swell his tally to 15 winners, one behind Eric Lemartinel.

Watson, who has been on the UAE horse racing scene for an astonishing 25 years, wrapped it up by winning the Azizi Farishta with Lytham St Annes and the Azizi Riviera with Galvanize.

Lytham St Annes, the fiveyear-old from Bahamian Bounty, beat Sandeep Jadhav’s Pirate’s Cove by a nose for his third win and second on the trot, in 16 starts. Meanwhile, Galvanize eased to a victory by 4.5 lengths over Portamento, with the five-year-old from Medaglia D’Oro, notching his fifth victory in 19 starts.

Watson had earlier won the Azizi Star on Al Seel Legacy’s and then took the top three placings in The Dubai Creek Mile Sponsored by Azizi on Stunned, One Man Band and Thegreatcollection. Cosmo Charlie then went on to land The Entisar Sponsored By Azizi.

Meanwhile, jockey Patrick Dobbs partnered Watson in four of those victories on Stunned, Cosmo Charlie, Lytham St Annes and Galvanize.

“We have a great team at home, great owners who have given me some nice horses. Hopefully we can keep it going from here,” said Watson.

“I think we have some good Carnival horses, from lower handicap horses to the top ones like Kimbear, Muntazah, Drafted, My Catch, One Man Band and Cosmo Charlie. We have a nice little team going there and it’s just a matter of picking the right spots,” he added.

Watson has had 136 runners so far and has 16 second places and 17 third-place finishes.