Gabr and Almoreb to lead Shadwell charge in Jebel Ali Racecourse feature

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The penultimate fixture of the Jebel Ali season and a typically competitive card, highlighted by a 1600m handicap, one which arguably would not have appeared out of place at Meydan and the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

The weights are headed by Gabr, who will bid to concede weight to all his 13 rivals for Doug Watson and Shadwell.

He is a course and distance winner, in November 2020, but has not won since and is seeking just a fourth career success having also won twice in Britain for Sir Michael Stoute.

Apprentice Sean Kirrane looks an interesting booking for Watson’s charge who returns to a course on which he has only raced twice, failing to get competitive in last year’s Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile last January on his second visit.

His final start last season, over 1600m on the Meydan turf, saw him finish third in the Zabeel Trophy, a conditions race won by the same owner’s Alfareeq, now a Group One winner after his Super Saturday Jebel Hatta success.

Watson is well represented with Pat Dobbs choosing Verboten, Sam Hitchcott opting for Far Sky and George Buckell aboard Galvanize.

Back to Shadwell and Musabbeh Al Mheiri saddles Almoreb, thrice a 1400m Jebel Ali winner and most recently an excellent second, here, over this 1600m, in a good quality conditions race won by the very useful Tenbury Wells. He is the choice of Shadwell’s jockey Dane O’Neill.

For Bhupat Seemar, Bochart, who was among four contenders for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Horseracing Excellence Awards, has to be feared.

However, he will be ridden by Fernando Jara with Tadhg O’Shea seemingly preferring the chances of stable companion Pitcher’s Point. A third Seemar runner is Melicertes who will be partnered by Pat Cosgrave for the very in form Zabeel Stables’ trainer.

Jebel Ali Racecourse patron, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will be represented but not from his adjacent Jebel Ali Stables. Instead, Salem Bin Ghadayer saddles dirt debutant Kaheall.

A winner four times from just six starts, including over 1600m on the Meydan turf on his first UAE outing, if taken to the surface he may well prove the one to beat.