Al Muhairi clinches double in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI // Musabah al Muhairi, the Emirati trainer, completed a superb double by winning the Arabian Triple Crown Round 1 and the President's Cup Prep at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club last night.

Tadhg O'Shea made all the running on the unfancied Tenor Des Vialettes to claim the featured Listed Triple Crown Round 1 prize for four-year-olds from Aqmaar and Frynchman, the favourite, to complete the double for al Muhairi after Wayne Smith, his stable jockey, had pulled off a major upset on Vite Royale.

O'Shea was slow out of the gate but had the Dormane colt quickly out in front and stayed on strongly to win by half-a-length.

"He was drawn on the rails and slow to start," the UAE champion jockey said. "He was running only his second race and obviously he has improved from that outing."

The President's Cup hopefuls Adjinn D'Aroco and Nieshan were beaten by Vite Royale in the biggest shock of the night.

Smith led from the front on the nine-year-old to win by a short head from the fast-finishing Seraphin Du Paon, last year's UAE Arabian Derby winner, under Kieren Fallon.

Smith said of the winner: "We always thought he had a race in him and he came well in this race. He had arrived with a couple of wins from the US but didn't live up to the high expectation. We fitted him with a pacifier and changed the tactics, and it worked."

AF Alghabra extended her winning streak to six when she edged out Albar Lotois and Jazeerat Alsdayaat, by a nose and a short head.

Fallon sent Jazeerat Alsadyaat to the front and was joined by AF Alghabra and Gerald Avranche came with a late run on Albar Lotois as the three battled it out in the last 100 metres to the finishing line.

"She travelled well all the way and we should give credit to her for the way she battled it out and sticking her head up when it mattered," Willie Supple, the winning jockey, said.

Richard Mullen, on the Satish Seemar-trained Montmorency, won the thoroughbred prize, Harry Bentley took the Wathba Stud Farm Cup on Magroom and Chris Taylor rode RS Khaan to win the opener.

apassela@thenational.ae