All seven races have attracted the maximum allowed field of 15
16 January 2020, Al Ain, UAE ~ Racing returns to Al Ain Racecourse on Friday afternoon, 17 January 2020, for a seven-race card including a solitary Thoroughbred contest, a 2000m handicap.
On official ratings with a lofty handicap mark of 75, Marmara XM (Grilla (US) x Shall We Dance BW (US) by LINE DANCER (US) is the best Purebred Arabian runner in action on the card and the 4-year-old filly takes her chance in the 1000m conditions contest which concludes the card. Trained by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami and the mount of Szczepan Mazur, she made a winning debut never headed over 1400m here at Al Ain (11/19) before well beaten trying identical tactics on her only subsequent start on the Abu Dhabi turf over 1600m (12/19).
Clearly blessed with natural speed, she should make a bold bid to get back to winning ways, but is far from the only unexposed runner in the field which includes the 5-year-old mare Rawaa (Munjiz (FR) x Rudina (US) by Burning Sand (US), winner of her only start to date, a 1200m Sharjah maiden, in November. Trained by Ana Mendez, she ran in the name of her breeder Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan on that occasion, but is competing here for Al Wathba Racing having their first ever runners throughout a busy afternoon.
THE 4-year-old colt, Gold Silver (Josco Du Cayrou (FR) X Alcantara (FR) by Kerbella (FR) has had just three career outings for Ibrahim Aseel and owner Ziad Galadari, making it third time lucky when winning a course and distance maiden a fortnight ago.
Satish Seemar saddles two in the Thoroughbred race, with Richie Mullen choosing to ride Heraldic for the Al Bait Mutawahed Team. Second over 1600 and fourth over 1400m, on his two previous Al Ain visits, the 7-year-old Discreet Cat gelding has won three times for present connections. Mullen’s choice leaves champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea the mount on Cachao, a horse he has actually partnered for Ali Muktar on each of his nine runs, highlighted by a 1600m Meydan victory aboard the 7-year-old New Approach gelding in December 2018.
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