Jebel Ali Team’s Shamikh key contender for Smullen tribute

Racing at Jebel Ali on Friday afternoon is highlighted by the Pat Smullen Conditions Stakes, a race sponsored by the racecourse itself and named in honour of the former Jebel Ali Stables’ and multiple Irish Champion Jockey who sadly succumbed to cancer last year.

A 1600m conditions race restricted to 4-year-olds, the feature has attracted a field of 13, but is probably less competitive than the numbers would suggest with several appearing to hold little realistic chance.

Among the obvious exceptions is Shamikh, trained at the adjacent Jebel Ali Stables by Nicholas Bachalard for racecourse patron Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Lea colt made a belated racecourse debut in November, winning a 1400m Jebel Ali maiden and added a conditions race over the same course and distance to his winning haul a month ago. Sandwiched in between his two victories was a moderate Meydan effort, but that was over 1900m, left-handed and under floodlights, a totally different scenario to his straight track Jebel Ali victories in afternoon daylight.

He does have to tackle the very sharp Jebel Ali bend for the first time, in a race at least, but will have worked around it as part of his preparation, so should not be caught out as so many others have been.

Bachalard said: “It is a great initiative by the racecourse to honour Pat Smullen who was a top stable jockey here and it is a race obviously the whole Jebel Ali family would like to win.

“Shamikh is a big horse, but we expect him to handle the bend and we know the surface suits him. The 1600m should not be an issue and we are hoping he can at least go close.”

Satish Seemar appears to supply two of the main dangers to the local hope with dual course and distance winner Mazagran who is joined in the field by Remorse, making both his dirt and local debut.

The former easily won a maiden in early January before following up a fortnight later in a handicap, both over this 1600m track and trip. He then seemed not to stay 1950m when upped in class for the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes.