Brown Recaptures Al Fahidi Fort

Bankable defeated Imbongi and Ibn Battuta in a bob of heads at the busy end.

Brown who won this race twice before with global trotter Linngari and he said: “This is my race. Bankable is a really nice horse and the Dubai Duty Free has always been his target. Now he has won this we will probably go straight there without another run.”

The six-year-old son of Medicean won a handicap race at Nad Al Sheba under Johny Murtagh when trained by Mike de Kock. But, he was well beaten by Gladiatorus in the 1777m Dubai Duty Free (Gr-1) on the World Cup night. Thereafter, Bankable travelled to Kranji where he finished third to Gloria De Campeao in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Group 1). Last August, Bankable was a respectable second to Campanologist at Windsor after moved to the yard of L G Moore.

Earlier, Godolphin’s Skysurfers had impressively defeated a quality field in a conditions race on Tapeta under Frankie Dettori. He was chased home by Group-1 winner Eagle Mountain and trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said: “He is a horse I have always liked and we will have to think about stepping him up in class.”

Trainer and jockey were completing a double having earlier won the 1200m handicap with Global City who was recording a second course and distance Carnival win, as was Luca Cumani’s Drunken Sailor who won the 2200m handicap under Kieren Fallon.

Doug Watson made the perfect start to the night with Quaolina and Richard Hills winning the opening Group Two Bani Yas, a 1200m race and the only Purebred Arabian race on the card.

He then saddled Green Coast to win the 1400m handicap under Tadhg O’Shea and the trainer said: “That is a great way to start the night and the horses have been going well in general. Quaolina is a quality mare and she will go back to Abu Dhabi for the Group One Liwa Oasis she won last year.

“Green Coast continues to run well and deserved to get his head in front after two luckless efforts.”

Watson then ended the night in perfect style with O’Shea again in the saddle on Roman’s Run who won the concluding 1900m handicap.

Watson trails Ali Rashid Al Raihe in the trainers’ championship and that rival opened his 2010 Carnival account when Al Shemali won the 2000m handicap under Royston Ffrench who said: “The horse have been running so well and we have been having seconds and thirds so it is great to actually win one for the whole team.

hisham@khaleejtimes.com