Bigg N Rich fancied in Al Ain’s season-ending horse race

The Al Ain Racecourse stages its fifth and final meeting of the season on Thursday afternoon, highlighted by The Al Ain Mile, a 1,600m conditions race for which ten have been declared, including Bigg N Rich, already a dual course and distance winner.

Bigg N Rich on way to winning the Al Ain Mile Prep at the Al Ain Racecourse earlier this year. —KT file

Trained by Eric Lemartinel for Athbah Stud, he won a similar race at the first ever Al Ain meeting on the final day of January before following up in the Al Ain Mile Prep four weeks later.

That was three weeks ago and James Doyle is in the saddle, as he has been for both previous course victories. “He is a very good horse as he showed when winning at Meydan Racecourse in December,” said Doyle. “He has really handled this surface well and travels really strongly throughout his races. He then has a turn of foot, which is a potent weapon in these races.

“Hopefully he is the one they all have to beat.” Champion Trainer Ernst Oertel saddles three with Champion Jockey, Tadhg O’Shea, choosing to ride Callateral, a course and distance winner two weeks ago. The trainer also saddles Fryvolous and Najm Alemarat with all three owned by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and said: “Callateral is seemingly improving and has shown a liking for the Al Ain surface which is a big plus.

“He needs to step up again but remains in good form and should run a big race.

“It has been another great season and I am lucky to have a strong team around me. It is a great privilege to train at Al Asayl and to have such nice horses in the yard.”

Majed Al Jahouri is another trainer enjoying an excellent season and has both Rakha and Thakif in the field for Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Thakif was third behind Bigg N Rich in the Al Ain Mile Prep a month ago and third in February behind stable companion Rakha who dead-heated in the Group 3 Al Ruwais.

The main support race is a 3,000m handicap, becoming the longest Purebred Arabian race in the UAE calendar, surpassing last week’s 2,700m Sharjah Marathon. That Sharjah race was won by the Oertel-trained Swyft, who headed stable companion Forgehill Cezanne close home and both are back in action here.

Al Jahouri’s Raheq was third in the same race and it would be no surprise were the three to fight out this race, with all three having experience of the track when running in the prep for this contest over 2,600m.