On Saturday Sharjah opens its doors for the first time in 2011 for what looks like a competitive card of 7 races starting at 2pm. There are five races for Purebred Arabians and two races for Thoroughbreds.
The highlight of the card is the Ruler of Sharjah Handicap Stakes. The AED 100,000 race is over 1700m and is contested by nine runners. The top weight is Bareq who is a course and distance winner at Sharjah and looks to be the one to beat for the UAE’s leading trainer Musabah Al Muhairi and Wayne Smith. Knife could well be the danger after a useful second at Jebel Ali recently. Further down the handicap Kung Fu looks well treated having won over course and distance earlier this season.
The first race is a Purebred Arabian Maiden and looks an typically difficult affair to sort out with ten of the sixteen runners making their racecourse debuts. RS Fancy Dancer has the best form in the book of the six with form having run second on his last start here at Sharjah in December.
Treachery tops the weight in the fifth race which is a 2000m handicap. Ridden by crack apprentice Harry Bentley here he has been getting closer to scoring including when a close up third to Paschendale at Meydan a fortnight ago. Rashid Bouresley’s Amazon River bids to make a swift return to the winners enclosure following an impressive win in a maiden at Jebel Ali last Friday.
In the other Thoroughbred handicap the weights are headed by Serhaal who is in fine form at present having won on his last start for Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s stable and is preferred over stablemate Pirate’s Song. Doug Watson’s entry Kilt Rock has been a touch unlucky this season and this race looks like an opportunity for him to feature at the head of affairs.
Doug Watson will also be hoping for a big run from Fantastique MHF in the Sharjah marathon. Despite running over shorter distances he proved he goes well on the track when winning here in November and if he stays he will be on the premises. However should he not Chase Me who has won three times this season already will be waiting to pounce under Chris Taylor in this competitive heat.
The most competitive race of the day must be the 1200m handicap for Purebred Arabians at 2.30. Looking through the runners for this race shows plenty in with chances and Baralo looks set to try and rediscover his early season form which saw him secure two victories including one over course and distance. Mahalli is an interesting horse whom had been tried at higher levels and is today dropped back down in class to a level where he had also secured two wins earlier in the season.
The card is concluded by a 1700m handicap and this could just be the opportunity AF Disan has been looking for to break her maiden tag and send Karim Aga and Rory Cleary home happy.
It promises to be a great day on this the last meeting at Sharjah this season and do not miss out on a competitive days’ racing.
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