ES Ajeeb, AF Alwajel in repeat Al Ruwais face-off

A six-race race card on the turf at Abu Dhabi on Sunday is highlighted by the 1200m Group 3 Al Ruwais for which 12 have been declared including Wadeeaa and ES Ajeeb, second and third last year behind this year’s Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 heroine RB Money To Burn.

Wadeeaa, trained last year by Mohd Ali arrived in the capital 12 months ago having, on her previous appearance, landed the 2019 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 on the Meydan dirt surface for which she was penalised. A 6-year-old mare, without a penalty this year, she makes a second start for Ana Mendez and will be ridden by Omani Al Moatasem Al Balushi, seeking a first UAE winner after 22 previous attempts.

Mendez said: “She needed her first run in the Bani Yas behind ES Ajeeb and should be a lot fitter this time. Hopefully she can run well in a good renewal.”

Also carrying a penalty 12 months ago and with a similar extra impost this time, ES Ajeeb has been the flagbearer for trainer Ibrahim Aseel, his seven victories, representing half his career starts, including the last two renewals of the Group 2 Bani Yas on the dirt at Meydan. Homebred by Sheikh Abdulla Bin Majid Al Qassemi, chairman of the Sharjah Equestrian Club where Aseel trains, the 6-year-old has won once from four turf appearances in the capital, landing the 1600m Listed Arabian Triple Crown R1, as a 4-year-old in 2018.

He is penalised, thus conceding weight to his 11 rivals and Sam Hitchcott, in the saddle for all his 14 starts bar his debut, maintains their fruitful partnership.

Homebred by Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda and trained by Ernst Oertel, the 5-year-old entire AF Alwajel has won half of his six career starts, all on dirt, a surface on which he has been beaten just once in four outings, when fifth in Al Maktoum Challenge R1 a fortnight ago. ES Ajeeb was more than four lengths behind in sixth and the pair clashed over 1200m on the dirt at Sharjah on their previous outings, the penalised ES Ajeeb unable to concede the 3kgs his year younger rival was receiving. The weight difference is just 1kg this time.

The mount of Tadhg O’Shea, he has finished second on both turf outings over 1400m then 1600m here at Abu Dhabi and O’Shea said: “He showed last season he handles the turf well and this will be his first grass outing at a sprint distance which should really suit him. He has not had much racing at all, has a high cruising speed and we hope is still improving, so we are looking forward to the opportunity to contest a good quality turf sprint.” Richard Mullen, who could have ridden Wadeeaa for Al Wathba Racing, has instead elected to partner the same owner’s Rawaa, a 5-year-old mare who has won both her starts, over 1200m at Sharjah and then 1000m at Al Ain, so is making her turf debut.

Previously in the capable hands of Mendez, she is having a first start for Majed Al Jahoori, saddling his first runner since he received a two-year ban in January 2017. The handler won three consecutive renewals of this race with dual scorer Thakif in 2012 and 2013 before saddling Rakha who dead-heated with the appropriately named Shared in 2014.

The RB Money To Burn team of Eric Lemartinel, Fabrice Veron and Sheikha Alyazia bint Sultan Al Nahyan, are represented by RB Lam Tara, a 5-year-old mare whose three career victories have all been here at Abu Dhabi over 1600m, the shortest trip over which she has previously competed.