Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013
Dubai: Musabah Al Muhairi reeled off four winners at Meydan’s opening race meeting a fortnight ago and the Emirati handler is hoping he can maintain the impetus at Thursday night’s Dubal-sponsored meeting.
Al Muhairi saddles several leading chances on the six-race card with Hazaz, who was one of his quartet of winners on that day, looking to have the best credentials, albeit in a more challenging race, the 1400m Dubal Casthouse Trophy.
“He’s a very nice horse who is one hundred per cent genuine,” said the handler. “He impressed us the last time he ran here, but this is a bigger test, so we have to be a little cautious.
“We could not have asked for a better start to the season at Meydan, and the UAE in general, and we hope to keep the momentum going.
“It’s a lot tougher as the season progresses, so you have to have your horse in the best condition to give him a fair chance of winning,” he added.
“The team we have at Oasis Stables work very hard to ensure that our runners are fit and happy, the rest is up to whatever happens on race day. You can’t control everything.”
Al Muhairi also saddles the promising Innocuous, and Sand Stamp, in the 1200m Dubal Potlines Trophy, but the six-year-old will have to contend with the Ernst Oertel-trained Brazen, who makes his UAE debut.
“He ran a good race behind Chasing Halos, who was the better horse on the day,” said the handler. “He should benefit from that effort and we have got to be hopeful of his second run since that race. But it’s a tough test on Thursday.
“I like Chasing Halos a lot. He came to us last year but he had a problem and we struggled to keep him fit. He had an operation and we have given him time to recover. We don’t rush our horses, we want what’s best for them.”
By Leslie Wilson Jr Racing & Special Features Writer
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
