Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club with its new title of Sharjah Longines Racecourse, stages its first meeting of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The fourth fixture of the new 2019/20 UAE campaign, it features just one Thoroughbred contest, a 1000m handicap, among the six races and in which the weights are headed by Bedaveeya, winner of the equivalent race last year.

A 5-year-old Tizway mare trained by Satish Seemar, she remains the only horse to have carried the silks of owner Dubai Japan Aibakai and was registering her sole career success to date when landing the spoils in this last year. Having opened her account, she was largely disappointing in five subsequent outings, but will be making just a second visit to Sharjah having clearly relished conditions on that one previous attempt.

Seemar saddles three of the 14 runners with Dane O’Neill aboard One Season and stable jockey, Richard Mullen who was aboard Bedaveeya when she won, opting to partner Cosmic Glow.

That leaves a nice spare ride for UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O’Shea, riding Bedaveeya for a second time, the pair having finished a creditable sixth over 1400m on the mare’s penultimate start at Jebel Ali at the beginning of March.

“Satish and his team have made a good start to the season and she looks a nice ride to pick up,” O’Shea said. “Conditions obviously suit her and course form is nice to have in the book at Sharjah which does not suit all horses.”

Seemar celebrated a double at Meydan last Thursday, as did owner Sayed Hashish, the pair combining with Way Of Wisdom before Mahmood Hussain saddled Mark Of Approval to complete Hashish’s double. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, that was a first ever Thoroughbred success for the Sharjah-based handler and he will be hoping to double that tally with the same owner’s Ticket Holder who is making his debut for the yard. Also to be ridden by Fresu, the 8-year-old entire by Elusive Quality was a 1200m winner on the dirt track at Meydan in November 2016 when trained by Beverley Deutrom, but has generally been unconvincing since.

This will be just a second start over 1000m having, following his Meydan success, finished a close fifth over the minimum trip at Jebel Ali which is a much more severe stamina test than Sharjah.

Connor Beasley has made a fine start to the campaign, partnering three winners on the opening weekend to lead the early jockeys’ standings, and rides Falcon Eye for his main local employer Ahmad bin Harmash. A gelded 4-year-old son of Dubawi, he remains a maiden after just six career outings and will be having his third start for new connections over by far the shortest trip he has tackled, and since his 1400m juvenile debut when sixth at Newmarket.

The presence of Pat Cosgrave in the saddle aboard Serengeti Sky suggests he is the main hope from two Helal Al Alawi runners. Rashed Bouresly is also in with a pair of chances through Voski and Bueller, the mounts of Per-Anders Graeberg and Royston Ffrench respectively.

The best of the Purebred Arabian action is arguably a 1200m handicap in which the weights are headed by ES Al Bal, trained on the track by Ibrahim Aseel for Sheikh Abdulla bin Majid Al Qassemi, the racecourse chairman. The mount of Sam Hitchcott, the 5-year-old homebred mare made a winning debut, over 1000m, at the first Sharjah fixture of two seasons ago before struggling over 1400m on turf at Abu Dhabi after which she was not seen again until March of this year when seventh over 1000m on the Al Ain dirt, her only appearance of last season.

Eric Lemartinel saddles both Sadah, seemingly the choice of Fabrice Veron and Jesus Rosales’ mount, Al Jazi for His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with both respected in a wide open contest. Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, Ernst Oertel and Tadhg O’Shea finished last season as champions and combine with 8-year-old AF Thobor, like stable companion AF Meeqat, a 6-year-old, homebred by Al Nabooda.

Others to consider in a competitive heat include Yas Horse Racing Management’s Mulhim, to be ridden by Mullen for Al Alawi, Inthar who ran well for a long way over 2200m at Abu Dhabi last Friday for owner and trainer Khalifa Al Neyadi, as well as JAP Malawih, to be ridden by Ffrench for Irfan Ellahi.

Sharjah racecourse will host six meetings during the new calendar. “The new season will provide the trainers and horse lovers an integrated experience at the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club,” said Sultan Mohammed Khalifa Al Yahyaee, general manager of Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club and member of the Sharjah Sports Council.

 We expect a thrilling new season as usual and it offers trainers and racegoers a comprehensive season of racing at SERC,” Yahyaee added.

“We offer racing for domestic and international horses in both the Thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian ranks and look forward to the start of another successful season of SERC,” he added.

“Saturday to be a great day of racing with a lot more planned throughout the season including. It is great to see the crowds that come here week after week to soak up the action.”