This evening’s Meydan card is interesting in its own right with two quality turf handicaps the highlights and South African Mike De Kock, who enjoyed a Carnival double on Thursday, will be hoping that Lehaaf can bounce back to form.
With a handicap rating of 98, Lehaaf ran very well on his local debut, in a Carnival handicap, but De Kock has not been able to get him another Carnival outing with suitable races oversubscribed.
Therefore the South African took him to Jebel Ali last Friday, hoping for a big run and a boosted rating, but his charge did not enjoy the dirt surface so connections will be hoping for better here over 1,600m on turf.
Thierry Thullliez rides him, one of four runners in the race for De Kock, with Final Button, the mount of Gary Carroll, appearing his other main hope.
Sheikh Hamdan has no less than six in the race and retained jockey Paul Hanagan chooses Jawhar on whom he set the 1,600m turf track record on his penultimate start four weeks ago.
He is trained by Doug Watson, as is Oasis Dancer, runner-up to Jawhar a month ago. Watson also saddles four in the race.
In the 1,200m turf handicap, Sheikh Hamdan owns four of the runners and local debutant Mooqtar is the choice of Hanagan.
Trainer Musabah Al Muhairi saddles three in the race and stable jockey Wayne Smith rides Odooj with apprentice Noel Garbutt on stable companion Entifaadha.
Reigning Champion Trainer Ernst Oertel relies on Brazen under apprentice Daniel Muscutt.
