Today’s Abu Dhabi meeting is the final fixture in the capital this season with the course’s biggest Thoroughbred race of the campaign, the 2,200m Group 3 Abu Dhabi Championship, given added intrigue by the presence of Sanshaawes, trained by Mike De Kock.
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He was just over eight lengths behind Godolphin’s Hunter’s Light in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta at last weekend’s Super Saturday fixture.
This represents a big drop in class and he looks sure to run well under Gerald Avranche.
Avranche said: “It is a great spare ride to pick up and I am really looking forward to it. His form is in the book and he must have a big chance.”
Antinori won the course and distance prep three weeks ago for Satish Seemar and stable jockey Richard Mullen, who said: “The tight track and fast ground really suit him. This is a lot stronger race but he is in good form and has conditions in his favour.”
Dhruba Selvaratnam saddles Dormello, winner of an 1,800m conditions contest at Jebel Ali on his most recent outing and again to be ridden by stable jockey Oisin Murphy.
Ashaawes, with the top-class Sanshaawes, who was placed in both the Gr.1 Maktoum Challenge http://t.co/HYLfiOhALt pic.twitter.com/MHc4lcq91R
— Boland Stud (@freeman_eugene) June 21, 2014
The Purebred Arabian equivalent, the Group 1 Emirates Championship, looks wide open with no standout candidate. Salem Al Ketbi has his Al Asayl string in fine form and saddles three of the 10 declared runners.
He and stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea combined with a treble at Al Ain on Friday, and the jockey elects to ride Shayel Aldhabi.
Stable companions Skoop and Nymphea Du Paon will be ridden by Adrie De Vries and Nymphea Du Paon respectively.
Wayne Smith and Eric Lemartinel combined with Manade Athbah to deny the Al Asayl team in the featured race at Al Ain on Friday and are represented by Manan here.
Majed Al Jahouri has saddled the last three winners of this race and they rely on Haanoof this time, the mount of Pat Dobbs.
With Musabah Al Muhairi saddling big race winners last weekend, it would be a folly to ignore his Myra De Monlau, to be ridden by Royston Ffrench.
