Costa and Coen stretch winning run at Jebel Ali Racecourse

The domination of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s yellow and black silks continued in their backyard on Saturday with the Jebel Ali Racecourse founder and patron’s resident trainer Michael Costa saddling the winners of four of the six Thoroughbred contests on the seven-race card, all ridden by retained rider Ben Coen.

With the juggernaut pushing forward strongly, Sheikh Ahmed’s hold on the UAE Owners’ Championship continued and he now finds himself 11-clear from his nearest rival with a tally of 19 winners.

Australian Costa, in his second season in charge at Jebel Ali, sits handsomely aboard the trainers’ standings with an identical 19, having supplied his employers with all of his wins.

As far as Coen goes, Saturday’s quartet made him joint-second alongside Bernardo Pinheiro in the jockeys’ race with 13, the pair seven short of current leader Connor Beasley, who is on 20.

Ma Yetal was, perhaps, the most impressive among Costa-Coen’s four winners in front of an enthusiastic and vocal crowd on Saturday and would have left his four rivals in the juvenile 1200m Conditions event disheartened after a sparkling performance which saw him tear away and win by a massive 13-and-three-quarters of a length.

“I am delighted to announce that it was a very successful meeting. Great pleasure to have big numbers of racegoers, and as we welcomed a staggering 11,000 spectators, far exceeding our expectations, a substantial increase from the usual 8,000 on normal race days,” said Mohamed Al Ahmed, General Manager of Jebel Ali racecourse.” Following the ‘Students Day’ theme, students from various universities across the UAE were in attendance to catch the action live.

“This electrifying atmosphere was further amplified by the enthusiastic participation of 150 university students from across the UAE.

“These students actively engaged in engrossing learning experiences surrounding the world of racing. Students also enjoyed the activities we hosted in collaboration with the Commercial Bank of Dubai.

“Their excitement was palpable, demonstrating the growing interest in equestrian sports among young audiences.

“I would like to congratulate Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashing Al Maktoum and Engineer Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, Director General of the Emirates Racing Authority, on the remarkable success of Jebel Ali Stables. The unstoppable Costa and Coen combination once again delivered an outstanding performance.

“The positive energy and support from the racing community, combined with the educational initiatives for students, reflect the vibrancy and success of the racing event,” Ahmed added.

Kal Barg brought the Costa-Coen partnership a first success on the afternoon in the 1200m Maiden Stakes sponsored by Al Shafar Investment in which he gained the ascendancy at the 400m pole and kicked clear to score by a stunning eight-and-a-half lengths from Condor Pasa (Fawzi Nass/De Vries) with Al Arbed a further shorthead back in third for Musabbeh Al Mheiri and Ryan Curatolo.

Sadaaty went one better than his previous run in the feature race, the 1400m Al Sufouh Stakes, a handicap (80-105) sponsored by Shadwell.

Keffaaf rounded off the scoring for Costa when winning the concluding Emirates NBD Cup 1800m maiden (3yo+) with a zippy run in the straight after being ridden down the centre of the track by Coen.  Costa and Coen might have had a fifth, but heavy favourite for the Zero to Eighty Five Sprint Handicap (1200m), Mojeyrr was withdrawn late on vet advice.

Following his withdrawal, Major Cinnamon gave owner-trainer Marwan Al Baidhaei and jockey Lucas van Rensburg first-ever UAE wins with a frontrunning effort.