Watson saddles four-timer as racing returns to Meydan for 2018-19 season

The reigning champion trainer came back from a winless evening last Friday at UAE flat season’s opening night at Jebel Ali with a handsome return from the seven race card.

The first success came in the second race of the meeting, the Emirates Skywards Handicap, thanks to an impressive two length win by Syncopation.

Run over 1600 metres, the winner hit the front 200 metres from the line and ran on strongly under George Buckell, for whom it was a first mount of the season and only ride on the card. Ticket Holder was second of the 12 runners with Press Room third trailing by three and a half lengths.

Watson made it a double in the following race, in the 1400 metre Arabian Adventures maiden. This time it was stable jockey Pat Dobbs who was in the saddle aboard Big Brown Bear who proved far too good for the other 11 contenders, coming in five lengths clear of Solar Shower in second and Beachcomber Bay in third.

The hat-trick and three consecutive victories was complete in the next contest, the Emirates Airline, a 1200 metre handicap, with Stunned completing a double for jockey Dobbs. Drawn at one, Dobbs wasted no ground sticking to the rail throughout before pouncing to win by four lengths from Speedy Move in second and Rocket Power in third.

Watson made it four on the night with Dobbs completing a treble aboard Pillar of Society in the Emirates A380 Handicap. Well away and always travelling strongly in front, Dobbs was able to get across from a wide draw to grab the rail and committed for home early in the straight. Rodaini, for Beasley and Bin Harmash, tried to overhaul him in the final 200 metres, but the winner ran on too strongly in the colours of EERC (Emirates Entertainment Racing Club) to win by a length and a quarter.

For all those successes, Watson, who had to settle for second and third in the feature, the AED210,000 Emirates.com Handicap over 2000 metres.
Run over the same dirt course and distance as the world’s most valuable horse race, the US$12 million Dubai World Cup, the race was by New Trails on what was his local debut after an absence of 549 days.

Settled by jockey Connor Beasley just off what looked a strong early gallop dictated by Royston Ffrench aboard Montsarrat, he was on hand to grab the initiative when that rival started to weaken early in the straight and soon opened up what proved a decisive advantage.

It was then just a case of whether he could keep going and he did although appeared to tire in the final 200 metres. There was enough in the tank though to deny Street Of Dreams who ran well went on to take second two lengths back with Dehbashi claimed third a further length back.