It’s Far From Over, unconsidered by most, turned over his eight rivals, all rated superior to him, in the Group 1 Emirates Championship, the Purebred Arabian feature at Abu Dhabi’s final meeting of the season yesterday.
Nymphea Du Paon and Shane Karlsson were a long way clear at halfway and it was only about the 300m pole the pair looked to be toiling.
It was Oisin Murphy and It’s Far From Over who emerged as the most serious challengers and they swept past about 50m from the line to record a famous victory.
It was a first Group One winner for trainer Omar Daraj, who said: “When this horse arrived two years ago from America, we thought he had a big race in him but he took an awful long time to settle in and acclimatise.
“Our patience has been rewarded this evening and I could not be happier.”
Sanshaawes, the mount of Gerald Avranche and saddled by South African Mike De Kock, made a gallant effort to make all in the Thoroughbred equivalent, the Group 3 Abu Dhabi Championship, also over 2,200m.
So the #luckylast goes to @rpmullen1 and Sharaf Al Reef trained by Jaber Bittar. Well done to all involved for a top season of action in #AD
— Dubai Racing Channel (@DubaiRacingTV) March 15, 2015
However, he had no answer to the late challenge of Dormello, trained by Dhruba Selvaratnam and initiating a big race double for Murphy.
It was a fifth win in the race, Abu Dhabi’s premier Thoroughbred contest of the season, for trainer Selvaratnam and his main patron, Sheikh Ahmed.
Selvaratnam said: “This has been a lucky race for us over the years and hopefully this will earn Dormello an invitation to the Sheema Classic on World Cup night at Meydan.”
The 2,200m UAE Arabian Derby looked a one-horse race on paper and it pretty much was with Shaheer proving far too good for his six rivals by following up on his Group Three victory in the middle round of the Arabian Triple Crown three weeks earlier.
He was ridden by Tadhg O’Shea for trainer Salem Al Ketbi, as was RB Burning Ash who made the perfect start for the Al Asayl team, registering a narrow success in the opening 1,400m maiden.
O’Shea completed a treble aboard Af Asefah in a 1,400m handicap for Eric Lemartinel before Sharaf Al Reef and Richard Mullen snared the finale, a 1,600m handicap for trainer Jaber Bittar.
