• Home
• /
• Horse Racing

Estiqraar holds on for victory

SHARJAH — Estiqraar, ridden by Rory Cleary, won the 2000m Purebred Arabians Derrinstown Stud Conditions race, the highlight of the seven-race-card second meeting of the season, at the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club here on Saturday afternoon.

Trained by Gillian Duffield, the five-year-old gelded son of former champions Bengali D’Albert battled it to the wire against the mount of Jesus Rosales, Knife to prevail by a short-head at the finish line.

Stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea didn’t pick the right horse of the Blue Stables of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, partnering Quite A Show instead and he didn’t show the best of himself and dropped back to the tail of the six-runner field.

In the preceding first of the two Thoroughbreds races of the afternoon, Gulf Of Gold lived up to his name, under Tadhg O’Shea, to claim his second straight victory of the season for trainer Doug Watson.

Naughty, ridden by apprentice jockey Antioco Murgia, landed the 1200m sprint, the opening race of the afternoon for trainer Ahmed Al Shamsi.

In the fourth race, a 1700m UAE Bred Rated Maiden, Patrick Dobbs partnered Rakkad Al Asayl to victory for trainer Anthony Manuel.

Jesus Roslaes teamed up with trainer Dr. Jaber Bittar to win the fifth race, a UAE Bred Unrated Maiden over 1700 metre, astride Ragdan.

The second Thouroghbred race of the afternoon, 1700 metre Maiden, was won by Radegund Abbey, under Richard Mullen, for his employer Satish Seemar.

The four-year-gelded son of Nayef ran a cracking race to win under pressure in the concluding stages of the trip.

Tadhg O’Shea returned to the winners’ enclosure aboard Fantastique MHF in the final race on the card, a 0-50 Purebred Arabians Handicap over 1700 metre distance, at the round course. The five-year-old son of Chandaka travelled very strongly to win in great style.

hisham@khaleejtimes.com