Amwaj, Initial shine in Al Ain's Friday features

ES Almas recorded a fairly comfortable victory in the opening 1,400m handicap.

Racing at Al Ain on Friday was highlighted by a 2,000m conditions race, restricted to horses who had not won two races and landed in decisive fashion by Amwaj, confidently ridden by Pat Cosgrave and doubling her career tally in the process.
Ttrained by Eric Lemartinel, the 6-year-old mare made a winning debut over 1,600m at Al Ain in November 2016 and had run plenty of good races in defeat stepped up in class before missing last season.
On her third start of the current campaign, she was travelling well under Cosgrave, tracking the pace set by local debutant Mujahid, who kept on gamely for second, before they took up the running fully 600m from home and, with 300m remaining, had shot clear with the race in safe keeping.
It looked unlikely at halfway but ES Almas ultimately recorded a fairly comfortable victory in the opening 1,400m handicap, restricted to horses in private ownership, surging home under Richard Mullen, the pair having had only three of their 14 rivals behind them entering the straight.
However, they made relentless progress over the final 400m, hitting the front inside the 100m to deny Ubu Al Mels, trained on the Al Ain track by Mohamed Ramadan. Saddled by Khalifa Al Neyadi for Al Awda Stables, the 7-year-old mare was recording a second career victory having, on her final outing for Ibrahim Aseel, won a 1,200m handicap at Sharjah on seasonal debut in November.
Musabbeh Al Mheiri dominated the 1,600m handicap, saddling both the first and second with stable jockey, Ben Curtis and Initial denying stablemate Jintshi, the mount of Fabrice Veron with Strong Chemistry, who had burst clear leaving the home turn, a close third.
A 7-year-old Invincible Spirit gelding, the winner was settled in midfield before, urged by Curtis, leading the chase behind Strong Chemistry who, briefly, looked to have snatched the race under Bernardo Pinheiro.
Pinheiro's mount could not resist the challenge of Initial, posting a second course and distance victory this season., having won in the middle of November. He was then third and second at Jebel Ali before occupying the same two positions in a further pair of Al Ain outings.
Curtis said: "He deserved another victory because he has not really put a foot wrong all season, both here and at Jebel Ali so I am delighted for the horse and connections. If you look at his form since he won, the horses who have beaten him have mostly gone on to win again so it is great he has managed to get his head in front again."
Out of luck in the Thoroughbred race, Pinheiro was in the winner's enclosure after a 1,800m maiden restricted to those foaled in the UAE when mount Al Yamamah Mleeh came out on top following a titanic struggle throughout the final 400m with Maktoob.
With both horses giving their all and pulling well clear, Maktoob appeared to be getting the better of the battle, only for Pinheiro's mount to grab the initiative in the final strides, completing a double for trainer Al Neyadi.