Maiden win for trainer Doug Watson

Dubai - Etijaah shows class; Nathr shines too at iconic venue

Leading trainer Doug Watson didn't wait too long before bottom weight Etijaah did it the right way in the hands of Sam Hitchcott to give him his first win at Meydan and the third after Jebel Ali double last weekend in the 2000m Emirates A380 TB Handicap, the feature of the season's curtain raiser at Meydan, on Thursday.
It was a double also for the stables of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.
"He's well handicapped and an honest horse who ran a cracking race at Jebel Ali when third behind Omindo in a Rated Conditions event," the Red Stables trainer said. But, according to the connections it's premature to talk about his next target at this early stage of the season as he will probably continue to pick some suitable races before the Carnival.
Top weight Nathr completed a treble for Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's horses and a double for trainer Doug Watson and jockey Dane O'Neill in the 1600m TB Handicap Emirates Skywards.
The final race, the 1600m Emirates Airline TB Handicap, was won by Street Act and it was a double for the new partnership of A Raihe/ O'Shea.
Early in the evening, former champion jockey Tadhg O'Shea partnered Prepared to victory in the 1400m TB Arabian Adventure Maiden, the opening race on the card.
Owned by Shaikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and trained by Ali Rashid Al Raihe at the Grandstand Stables, the six-year-old son of More Than Ready prevailed by more than four lengths to the run of the judge before being eased by the Irishman close home.
In the second race, a 1400m TB Handicap event sponsored by the Emirates Holidays Groos Grain landed a long overdue victory under champion jockey Richard Mullen for the Zabeel handler Satish Seemar. And again it was a one horse race and the five-year-old gelded son of Cape Cross did most and sprinted home unchallenged.
Champion trainer Musabah Al Muhairi claimed his first win of the season in the 1200m Emirates SkyCargo TB Handicap, the third race of the night. Ridden by Dane O'Neill, Ajraam prevailed by a half length to the run of the judge in the concluding stages of the race.
Al Muhaiairi was delighted. "This is my first strike of the season and it's good it has come very early in the second race meeting," he said.
"I didn't expect to wait for too long before visiting the winners' enclosure and I'm truly excited with the great performance of my horse. I would like to congratulate Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance for this win," he added.