Trainer Helal Alawi and Royston Ffrench combined for their second victory in two days with the smooth success of Ahmadani in the featured 1700m handicap at Sharjah Saturday afternoon.
Having won the only Purebred Arabian contest at Jebel Ali on Friday with AB Jalad, it has been a good weekend for the pair and Ahmadani was posting a second career and course victory in the process.
Ffrench said: “We were pretty hopeful as he goes well at Sharjah. He won his maiden over 1200m here last year and was actually first past the post on his debut as well.”
That initial victory was wiped out after he tested positive for a prohibited substance.
As good a weekend as that pair have enjoyed, Sheikh Hamdan and Dane O’Neill have enjoyed a better one. The owner had four winners at Jebel Ali on Friday, when he only had runners in four races and his blue and white silks were carried to victory in Sharjah’s only Thoroughbred contest, a 2000m handicap.
O’Neill, in treble form on Friday, made all on Watheeq, a third winner in two days for trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe, smashing the track record in the process.
Royston Ffrench wins the last race of the day on useful Ahmadani. pic.twitter.com/5KiVAdaibn
— Erika R. Photography (@erikar_photos) November 14, 2015
O’Neill, retained by the owner, said: “It has been a great two afternoons and hopefully it will continue.
“Watheeq loves bowling along in front and seems to save his best for Sharjah.”
Former Champion Trainer, Ernst Oertel, opened his account from a new base in Dubai, saddling AF Hakeem to win the opening 1200m maiden and providing apprentice Manuel Fernandes a first UAE winner.
Jaci Wickham also notched a first winner of the campaign, with Richard Mullen making all on Mischievous MHF in a 1700m maiden.
Other trainers opening their seasonal accounts were Jaber Bittar, whose Abu Al Mareek and Sam Hitchcott beat stablemate Ouasima in a 1200m handicap and Saeed Hadher Al Mazrouei.
The last named combined with apprentice George Buckell to land a 2000m maiden with AS Alkhattaf.
