Prevent lands feature as iconic Jebel Ali Racecourse celebrates 30th anniversary

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
 
Saturday’s first Jebel Ali fixture of 2022 was officially highlighted by a handicap over 1800m won in taking fashion by Prevent, Ray Dawson in the saddle for owner Ahmad Ghalita Almheiri and trainer Ahmad Bin Harmash.

Settled in about fourth by Dawson, the 7yo Poet’s Voice gelding started to creep closer early in the long straight before snatching the initiative about 300m out. They quickened clear and never appeared in danger of being caught.

He won over the same course and distance in December, was third on his seasonal and local debut, as well as finishing runner-up on his previous outing, all at Jebel Ali.

For 3yos, a 1200m maiden went to the home team with the colours of racecourse patron Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum carried to victory by debutant Sadaaty under Richard Mullen.

It was a belated first winner of the season for trainer Nicholas Bachalard and an appropriate one as the course is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Connections looked likely to be celebrating a double when Sadeedd hit the front in the final 100m of a 1400m handicap, only to be snared right on the line by Shadwell’s Mayaadeen, partnered by Dane O’Neill for Doug Watson.

A 7yo gelded son of Invincible Spirit, it was a fourth career success for the horse, all over 1400m, and third in the UAE but first at Jebel Ali adding this to a pair of Meydan dirt handicaps, most recently in November 2020.

Xavier Ziani produced Hyde Park to lead in the final strides of a 1200m handicap for Sultan Ali and Salem bin Ghadayer. A gelded 8yo son of Oasis Dream, he was winning for a fourth time and second locally and at Jebel Ali having landed a 1400m course maiden almost exactly a year ago.

Trainer and jockey completed a double with Attribution probably never headed in a 1950m handicap, landing the spoils in gutsy fashion for Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

A 5yo Competitive Edge gelding he looked likely to be swamped by the pack halfway up the straight but then shot clear with about 300m left and with the race won.

Having only his seventh start, he was doubling his career tally, he and Ziani having won a 1400m conditions race in February 2020 after which he was off the track for 672 days. This was his third outing of the campaign. They were actually awarded that race having initially dead-heated

The concluding 1600m maiden, the Jebel Ali Pearl Anniversary Stakes went to Yurman who flew home under Antonio Fresu to snatch the prize for Bhupat Seemar and Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed.

The meeting kicked off with the only Purebred Arabian contest on the card, a 1200m handicap which, like so many races of its type went to Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, his retained jockey Tadhg O’Shea and trainer Ernst Oertel, the trio combining with AF Soqrat who was always prominent before staying on strongly.