By Duane Fonseca -
Sprints continue to hog the limelight at Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club and this Sunday’s six-race programme is no different with the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup (4pm) pencilled the feature event of the afternoon.
A total of 16 will go to post for the 1200m handicap (0-90) with eyes transfixed on AF Yabarhin and whether or not his form has substance. Joint highest-rated in the field, the six-year-old full son of AF Alsalaam dealt the pacy RB Money Maker a harsh blow on his first start this season when denying the latter a second win in as many starts over the 1000m strip at Al Ain.
Trained by Maitha Alsuwaidi, AF Yabarhin (Qais Al Busaidi) blitzed the field to finish four-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of RB Money Maker, who was third on that occasion. Despite having never run there, the Sharjah surface should suit his chances as he arrives well rested after that success at Al Ain on December 1, which was his second at the venue after his fine victory, in spite of drifting in the closing stages, in a 1600m maiden on his last start of the 2022-23 campaign. Alsuwaidi’s charge is jointly-rated 90 alongside the Ibrahim Al Hadhrami-schooled Barghash and Muram, who represents Jaber Bittar’s yard.
Barghash runs in the command of in-form rider and UAE jockeys’ standings leader Connor Beasley, who partnered him to third in the HH The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup, a conditions contest over course and distance (C&D) three weeks ago, where the pair placed a not-so-distant third in the hope of returning to winning ways over a track and trip over which the Mahabb colt shed his maiden tag last November.
Muram (Abdul Aziz Al Balushi) shed his maiden tag on the same day as Barghash over C&D last November and went on to endure a more or less similar fate, with just a sole success gained thereafter in a 1400m handicap at Abu Dhabi. First-up in the aforementioned HH The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup, the four-year-old Thakif filly was bumped heavily and failed to recover, which resulted in a poor run and finish. Better racing luck might do her a world of good, but there’s some really tough names to contend with even further down the ratings ladder where Qaiss Aboud’s AF Yatwa’ad, a big-margin winner on the testing Jebel Ali surface, looks a worthy prospect on the back of that four-and-three-quarter lengths win. His form dipped when fourth behind AF Yabarhin a fortnight ago at Al Ain, but in the hands of another in-form rider in Ben Coen, his handler is bound to expect another big run.
Ernst Oertel is responsible for four, with champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea’s decision to pick AF Marmuq from among the quartet drawing attention to the five-year-old AF Albahar entire, who has won twice in 10 career starts, a stat that includes a C&D success.
O’Shea’s pick carries a rating of 77 which is 10 less than his 87-rated Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda-teammate AF Thayer (Marcelino Rodrigues), a three-time strip and trip winner, who was fourth behind RB Money Maker on seasonal bow, a performance that should stand him well here. Majed Al Jahoori’s Asmaa Al Wathba (Bernardo Pinheiro) has won half of her four starts and finished behind teammate Bassam Al Wathba in the HH The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup, and with a bit of progress from that run should be among the top prospects here. The Sheikh Mansoor Cup is one of five Purebred Arabian contests on the card, which gets underway with a 1200m maiden (3yo+, 2pm), followed by a 1000m handicap (0-65, 2.30pm). Another maiden for UAE bred horses (4yo+, 2000m, 3pm) and a further handicap (0-75, 2000m, 3.30pm) are also part of the PA action.
As is tradition at Sharjah, Thoroughbreds bring the curtains down on the afternoon and it is for the honours in a 0-75 handicap over 2000m (4.30pm) that 16 go to post, Bhupat Seemar’s Perfect Balance (Andrew Slattery) stands above the rest for his opening day heroics at a similar level over a 1700m strip when beating Ahmad bin Harmash’s highly-progressive Al Jaddaf, who has gone on to win twice on the bounce at Meydan since that defeat. Perfect Balance is joined by stablemate Fall Of Rome (O’Shea). Winning the feature Al Garhoud Sprint at Meydan might have sparked a turnaround in the fortunes of Doug Watson, who saddles Mulhim (Sam Hitchcott), while Nopoli (Ismail Mohammed/Bernardo Pinheiro) will also be expected to come forward from his first-up fourth in a handicap at Jebel Ali.
