There were stories galore at Jebel Ali on Friday afternoon with trebles for owner Sheikh Hamdan and trainer Musabah Al Muhairi, as well as UK Champion Jockey Richard Hughes opening his Jebel Ali account at the very first attempt.
And if that was not enough, Fiscal’s victory in the concluding 1400m maiden was a first ever Thoroughbred winner for owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and trainer Majed Al Jahouri, while winning jockey Manuel Chaves was riding his first UAE winner.
The official feature was the 1800m Jebel Ali Stakes Prep and Sheikh Hamdan’s Haatheq proved the old adage about class prevailing when winning the race for a second time, having chased home Treble Jig in the same contest last year.
Winner of this race in 2010, Haatheq, trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe, is now likely to head for the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes, a 1950m race in which he was second in 2011.
Paul Hanagan was in the saddle and said: “He has that touch of class but a great attitude to go with it. He loves it here at Jebel Ali and hopefully we will be back in a fortnight.”
He is likely to again face Emmrooz, winner of that 2011 Jebel Ali Stakes but winless since until winning Friday’s 1800m handicap with James Doyle in the saddle for Dhruba Selvaratnam and racecourse patron Sheikh Ahmed.
Hanagan completed a quick double for both himself and Sheikh Hamdan with the hard fought success of Muarrab in the 1200m conditions race. Now the winner of all three starts this season for trainer Musabah Al Muhairi, he looks an improving sprinter.
Hanagan said: “He won his first two starts this season easily and this was a lot tougher race but he has coped well with this step up in class. It would be nice to think he is a Jebel Ali Sprint horse.”
Sheikh Hamdan’s treble was then completed by Kanaf, also trained by Al Muhairi but ridden by the owner’s second jockey, Dane O’Neill, in a 7f handicap.
That was also Al Muhairi’s third winner on the card after he had combined with Richard Hughes to win the opening 1m maiden with Colmar Kid. Hughes was never far off the pace but was content to bide his time until the final 100m before committing for home and sweeping past Touch Gold who had tried to make all under Pat Cosgrave.
Hughes said: “I was asked to come back for this meeting when I was at Meydan last Thursday and I was happy to. I could not have made a better start!”
Manuel Chaves produced Fiscal to lead in the dying strides in the concluding maiden to provide connections with their landmark winner as already mentioned.
