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All to Play for During the Best Week of the Year

Ahead of today’s last Jebel Ali meeting, Ali Rashid Al Raihe tops the handlers’ table with 26 winners, two ahead of reigning champion Doug Watson and Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor. As Godolphin have only had runners in the UAE since the start of the Carnival on 28^th January it is quite an achievement that he has climbed so high up the list.

Both Al Raihe and Watson have a strong book of runners today but Al Raihe is represented at Abu Dhabi on Sunday also and so at this stage looks to be in a slightly better position. Also, with a formidable World Cup team being prepared at Al Quoz, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that bin Suroor could sneak past them both on the very last day of the season!

The jockeys’ championship looks extremely likely to have a new winner in Tadhg O’Shea, who currently has 34 winners, four ahead of Royston Ffrench and Wayne Smith who are tied in second.

O’Shea has several nice prospects at Jebel Ali, including Roman’s Run in the opening 1600 metre handicap, and an interesting spare on Montpellier in the 1200 metre feature race. Interestingly, Ffrench has abandoned him in order to ride the improving three year old Happy Dubai, which could prove to be a tip in itself.

The fields are now really starting to take shape for the World Cup meetings and there has also been something of a jockey merrygo round in the big races. In the World Cup, Christophe Soumillon has deserted Lizard’s Desire to ride Maktoum Challenge Round 3 winner Red Desire, leaving Kevin Shea with a tough choice between Lizard’s Desire and his regular partner Mr Brock, both of whom have won two races at the Carnival.

Shea also picks up the rides on Herman Brown’s two runners, Mourilyan in the Sheema Classic and Bankable in the Dubai Duty Free, as usual jockey Ryan Moore has been claimed by Sir Michael Stoute to ride Spanish Moon and Confront.

Moore’s unavailability also means another change of jockey for the talented but not straightforward Presvis, who will now be under the expert handling of Christophe Lemaire.