The Jebel Ali Sprint Prep Conditions race over 1000m dash attracted a small field of eight runners going to post in the Derristown-sponsored feature race of the afternoon at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday.
The 9th meeting of the season promises total entertainment and fun for racegoers both on and off the track.
The day’s showcase event will run at 3.15pm the Dh120,000 Derrinstown Farm, a five furlong contest that will see Russian Rock faces the challenge of Kilt Rock up the hill along with top sprinters who are seeking a dream line up in the $2m Dubai Golden Shaheen or the $1m Al Qouz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup night.
Mirza Al Sayegh and Sharief Al Halawani flanked by the sponors during the news conference at the Al Majlis on Tuesday. — Supplied photo
Kilt Rock ran a cracking race under Patrick Dobbs to claim his fifth win at the hilly track for the in-form Red stables of Doug Watson. The perfect run encouraged the connections to look beyond the horizon line in their upcoming fifth clash against the track specialist Russian Rock who beat them in the last four starts.
Russian Rock’s connections are apparently overconfident that Russian will be hard to beat over course and distance and his recent defeat at Meydan should be thrown behind their backs.
The first race will be sponsored by EHBS in the final leg of the Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge for the UAE-Bred Arabians. Al Shafar Investments will sponsor the second race, Shadwell Farm looks after the fourth race, Al Hudhaiba Contracting takes care of the fifth race and the final race will be courtesy of the STS (School Transport Company).
There will be a special programme for the kids at the backyard of the Grand Stand with plenty of shows to keep the younger fans amused throughout the afternoon.
“More than 20,000 free gifts will be distributed to the spectators at the entry gates. This will include mobile phones and electronic items that can be won against free coupons which will be distributed with the pick-six forms,” Sharief Al Halawani, director of the Jebel Ali Racecourse confirmed on Tuesday promising a fun day for all.
“Celebrations will start from as early as 11 am. We hope to make everyone happy. The children will have our full attention and priority. We have provided special areas for them to play and enjoy the afternoon under the watchful eyes of our staff.
“There’s room for everyone to entertain himself and enjoy a special afternoon at the outskirts of the city.”
But Al Halawani urged racegoers to cooperate with the racecourse management and keep an eye on their children.
“The safety of the children as well as the horses and jockeys is of great importance for us. We request people to keep the place clean and follow the rules while enjoying their family day-out,” he said.
The best turned out horses competition for the six races is sponsored by the Dubai International Arabian Horseracing Centre.
The groom of each winner will receive Dh1,000 except for the feature race which carries a prizemoney of Dh2,000.
The popular pick-six and tri-cast competitions worth Dh62,000 in prizemoney. And a brand new 2013 model car will be raffled off with tickets priced for Dh10/- only. The draw will take place after the final race and the lucky winner should be available to drive home his new automobile.