January 10, 2013, Jebel Ali ~ The opening 1600m Purebred Arabian conditions race on Friday at Jeble Ali was won by Bouthayna Al Reef (Bibi De Carrere (FR) x MUNAFISAH by TAHAR DE), trained by Jaber Bitar and a first winner of the season for jockey Ted Durcan. Hab Nessnas for Ernest Oertel came in second with Raad W’rsan in third for trainer, Al Ketbi.
Musabah Al Muhairi’s fantastic season continues to go from strength to strength as the Emirati handler saddled four of the five Thoroughbred winners at Jebel Ali’s Friday afternoon, highlighted by Interpret’s victory in the featured Jebel Ali Stakes.
Al Muhairi had won the 1950m Listed race in each of the last two seasons with Treble Jig and, with that horse now in Saudi Arabia, found the ideal replacement with Interpret, a half-brother to the 2007 Dubai World Cup winner Invasor.
Ridden by Godolphin jockey Silvestre De Sousa, Interpret looked one of the first beaten and was under strong pressure fully 800m out, but his Brazilian born jockey, fresh from big race victory on Shuruq at Meydan On Thursday, was in no mood to admit defeat and rousted his mount throughout the final 600m.
His endeavour was rewarded when the pair hit the front close home to record a hard fought victory.
Al Muhairi said: “He is a horse we always knew had a big race in him and he has needed every yard of the trip. He stays very well so a good fast gallop helped him and Silvestre has kept him going.
That was the second leg of a double for the jockey who had won the preceding 1600m conditions race on the same trainer’s Colmar Kid, a winner at the previous Jebel Ali meeting a fortnight previously.
They set a new track record in the process, one of three on the afternoon when a strong tailwind propelled the runners up the straight.
De Sousa said: “Connections were confident of a big run and they were right. He travelled strongly, quickened and ran on gamely to register a well-deserved win from a decent field.”
De Sousa’s double was outscored by a treble for Paul Hanagan, registering three winners for his main employer, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum who sponsored the feature race through his Shadwell breeding empire.
Hanagan’s trio was initiated by Shaishee, previously a maiden but able to break the track record in a 1400m handicap, completing Al Muhairi’s treble in the process. Never far off the pace, Hanagan sent his mount, making his dirt debut after some good placed efforts at Meydan, to the front about 400m out and they ran on strongly to beat Touch Gold.
The same connections then combined in a second 1400m handicap, this time with Kanaf prevailing to make it four consecutive winners for Al Muhairi and two for both Sheikh Hamdan and Hanagan. Only six contested this race but four held winning chances entering the final 50m, with Hanagan’s mount leading right on the line.
Al Muhairi said: “It has been a great afternoon. We knew we had some big chances but you can never expect four winners when we have runners in only five races.”
The one race he contested but did not win was the concluding 1200m handicap but Sheikh Hamdan and Hanagan continued their fine afternoon with Mujaazef breaking the track record for Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
Hanagan said: “Obviously that is a good day at the office and for the boss. The strong wind has produced some quick times today and conditions have suited our runners.”
Full l results:
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