A PAIR OF CLASSICS AND A CLASSIC TITLE RACE

By Duane Fonseca A pair of Classic affairs for Purebred Arabians share the spotlight on the penultimate night of racing in the UAE capital on Saturday, with AED110,000 each reserved for the Emirates Colts Classic and its corresponding Fillies event. Both carry Prestige status, are exclusively for UAE bred four-year-olds and will be contested over Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club’s 1600m strip, and with the ladies hitting the stalls first, our focus on this seven-race programme begins with the Emirates Fillies Classic, where the Irfan Ellahi-schooled JAP Eshraq definitely seems the one the one to stop for her fine seven length romp in the Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic in late January over the shorter 1400m circuit. Oscar Chavez, who guided her then, returns to the saddle after she ran dismally on her subsequent outing in a 1200m handicap here against stronger opposition, not because of her rider, but perhaps more because of being seemingly unsuited to shorter trips.

It’s hard to see that defeat by a distance by Al Laith holding up here, despite her conqueror moving on to bigger and better things, including a dominant win in the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah at Meydan, where Heros De Lagarde finished second, the record spurring the latter to victory in last week’s PA G1 Emirates Championship. Easy Lap’s trainer Khalifa Al Neyadi will be hoping his trainee can benefit from apprentice Allaia Tiar’s allowance and make an impact here after her ninth in Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic, where Hathlla, trained by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami, was fifth. Easy Lap shed her maiden tag in a 1600m contest at Al Ain, but seems she might be out of her depth here, while Hathlla, who also runs, has made her spectacular 15 length win on debut seem like a fluke. Unplaced in three starts thereafter, and, moreover, comprehensively beaten, she trotted home 44 lengths behind the winner in a recent 1400m handicap at Al Ain. Qaiss Aboud-trained TS Arizona (Jules Mobian), the only other name in the field to have won before, claimed a 1000m maiden here by over two lengths two months ago, but was well beaten when stepped up marginally to the 1200m strip so it’s hard to say whether or not this will suit or whether the AF Albahar filly might find the distance too much for her liking.

The Emirates Colts Classic seems fairly open with numerous making a case for themselves, including the top-weights Mubeed (Sandro Paiva) and LZ Bibi (Saif Al Balushi), rated 86 and 84 respectively, for having won twice each so far. The pair renew their rivalry here, each having accounted for the other once in the past: Mubeed exacting revenge for his Abu Dhabi Colts Classic defeat by LZ Bibi by beating him in the Al Ain Derby. And, while the Saeed Al Shamsi-trained LZ Bibi returns after a lacklustre eighth when sent out as the favourite in a 2200m handicap here, Jaber Bittar’s Mahabb colt Mubeed takes to the stalls well-rested after his courageous victory in the Al Ain Derby nearly a month ago. Ernst Oertel saddles AF Alarqaa (O’Shea), a course and distance maiden winner here three weeks ago, while Abdullah Al Hammadi’s Magic Touch (Richard Mullen) has hit the crossbar thrice in six career starts, including once over C&D when finishing two-and-a-half lengths adrift of LZ Bibi in a maiden before the latter went on to score in the Abu Dhabi Colts Classic. The Mushrae colt runs fresh from his victory in a 1400m maiden at Al Ain a race in which Al Neyadi’s reopposing Haddaf Al Wathba finished a head behind in second on what was his second attempt.

Ahmad Al Shamsi saddles Ghiath MKA, likely to come forward from his three-quarter length second on his only-ever racecourse appearance. In the programme’s only Thoroughbred contest, a 0-95 handicap over 1600m, Simon and Ed Crisford search for an eighth winner this campaign with King Of Time (Adrie de Vries), who steps down from the illustrious company he enjoyed, but failed to overcome, during the Dubai Racing Carnival. Last seen, edged out metres from the finish in a handicap by dual Carnival scorer Royal Dubai, the Kingman gelding should be able to handle the minor weight allowance and claim what would be a first Dubai success on his fifth start this term. Trainers’ Championship title rivals Bhupat Seemar and Michael Costa carry their battle forward, the former saddling a trio among which Arabian Tale has been picked by the trainer’s first choice rider, O’Shea. Costa, meanwhile, dispatches Faattik, beaten narrowly by Vespasian last time out, and Eljenob, last seen finishing a close fifth in a crowded finish over C&D. A number of top divisional names, devoid of racing luck during the season, will hope for some supernatural intervention when competing in the 2200m 0-105 handicap, one of four other Arabian events on the card.