Seemar and Mullen team up for double at Meydan

Having opened their account in the night’s first race with Storyboard, Mullen steered Secret Ambition to success in a thrilling finish in Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City – District One handicap.

The first UAE meeting of the New Year was headlined by this 1600 metre distance race on the dirt which saw half of the ten runners finally separated by a length and a half.

Despite never being far off the pace, Secret Ambition looked to be outpaced leaving the home turn Claim The Roses, with Royston Ffrench at the helm, skipped clear and had looked to have stolen it off the bend. Secret Ambition responded to Mullen’s urgings and gradually closed the gap, wearing down his rival before running on gamely to win by three-quarters of a length from Thegreatcollection who threatened late on, with Claim The Roses a short distance behind in third.

That win completed a double on the card for Seemar and Mullen after local debutant Storyboard won the District One Cycling & Running Track.

Again, this race was run over 1600 metres and the winner showed no effects from being raced just once previously 400 days ago when trained in France by Andre Fabre for Godolphin. Now based with Seemar, Storyboard was always travelling well behind the early leader Dangerous Thought. With Mullen happy to bide his time, Storyboard was only asked for a serious effort 400 metres from the line and after hitting the front, was never in danger afterwards, winning by a handsome five lengths. Mears was second and Dangerous Thought making third.

Trainer Doug Watson carried on from where he left off at the end of 2017 as Drafted won the District One Residences Handicap.

The 1200 metre race was run at a ferocious pace and having just one of his eight rivals behind him leaving the final turn, the Watson trainee ran on strongly in the straight under jockey Pat Dobbs, swooping on stablemate Almanaara who, despite the widest draw in nine, had managed to get to the front and rail under Jim Crowley.

Crowley’s mount looked in control 400 metres out, but his early exertions took their toll in the final stages and he faded into third behind Scrutineer, with Drafted winning by two and a quarter lengths.

It was a case of third time lucky for the Ahmad bin Harmash-trained Daffg who lost his maiden tag by landing the District One Trophy, a 1400m conditions race restricted to three-year-olds.

Having been third on debut before a close second on his only other previous run, he was ridden for the first time by Silvestre De Sousa stayed on well to land the spoils by a length and a quarter from Wasim in second and Gotti in third.

The first turf race at Meydan this season was the District One Villas which went to the Ali Rashid Al Rayhi-trained Janszoon.

Having just his second local outing, Janszoon was always chasing the pace set by Sam Hitchcott aboard Grand Argentier, but with jockey Tadhg O’Shea at the helm Janszoon challenged wide and was driven to the front entering the final 200 metres. From here, the race looked all over but the horse seemed to wander in front and drifted across towards the rail, hampering eventual third placed Rio Tigre close to home. Nevertheless , Janszoon came in a length and a quarter to the good ahead of runner-up Tried and True.

The District One handicap, run over 2200 metres provided the easiest winner of the night when Montsarrat, sent straight to the front by Xavier Ziani, stayed there.

Trained by Salem bin Ghadayer, who saddled a Jebel Ali treble last Friday (when two of his winners beat a stable companion into second) he was chased home by more than 10 lengths by stablemate Pit Stop.

That success for bin Ghadayer was followed up by another in the concluding race of the night, the District Mansions, which was won impressively by Hornsby.

Run over 1400 metres, Hornsby closed resolutely up the rail in the final 200 metres under Mickael Barzalona to post a comfortable victory by a length and a half. Ajwad finished a useful second under Jimmy Quinn and Mukhmal was equally as game coming in third under Dane O’Neill.

The next racing at Meydan is the opening meeting of the 2018 Dubai World Cup Carnival which takes place on 11 January.