Abu Dhabi double has De Vries closing in on best season yet

Champion jockey Adrie de Vries yesterday moved to within one victory of matching his best season in the UAE.

The Scandinavian followed up his first thoroughbred Group 1 winner at Meydan’s Super Saturday meeting by riding a double, including the Group 3 Arabian Triple Crown Round 2, in Abu Dhabi.

He rode Ibrahim Aseel’s Ashton Tourette to victory in the Wathba Stallions Cup and completed the double with a runaway success atop Abdallah Al Hammadi’s Ottoman.

Ottoman was fourth behind stablemate Hameem, who was ridden by De Vries to victory in the Arabian Triple Crown Round 1 over the 1,600-metre distance four weeks ago.

Over the longer 2,200m trip, Ottoman emerged a convincing winner over Dergham Athbah and Mutaqadim by three lengths and a neck. “I have seen all of his races and he’s been running against good horses,” De Vries said of the American-bred Valiant Boy colt.

“I thought the step up would suit him. They told me to have him handy. I jumped him out for an easy lead and kicked from the [final] bend to put the race to bed quickly. He’s a nice horse and just waited for this trip.”

De Vries had earlier come from last to first in the 1,200m sprint. His two winners took his tally to 22, one short of his best season in the UAE in 2017.

Szczepan Mazur, on board Hakeemat Muscat, clinched the Group 2 Liwa Oasis by a short head from Rawaa. Antonio Fresu also rode a double on the night with Eric Lemartinel’s Gurm and the concluding thoroughbred handicap on Musabah Al Muhairi’s Ganbaru to deny a treble for De Vries with Madame Ellingtina, beaten by a neck.