Dubai: Fresh from winning a second successive world endurance title in Slovakia, Emirati trainer Esmail Mohammad turns his attention to the flat as he chases a career-best win in the £250,000 (Dh1.47 million) Cesarewitch Heritage Handicap at Newmarket on Saturday.

Established in 1839, the Cesarewitch is one of two major handicaps run at Newmarket each season, with the other being the Cambridgeshire.

Esmail saddles the hat-trick-seeking Rhombus, who looks good value in a cracking renewal of the 3,600m contest that has attracted a full field of 34 runners.

Owned by Shaikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, Rhombus brings strong form to the race having won his most recent starts at Newmarket and Newbury.

“I’ve always liked this horse because he’s a real trier,” Esmail said. “Horses with his sort of character are a pleasure to train. When you bring him to the track you can be certain he will give you one hundred per cent.

“It’s a tough race with so many horses in the field, but you’ve got to be hopeful.”

Esmail’s assistant Niall Collum was also anticipating a big run from Rhombus.

“He’s had a great preparation for the race and goes there in great shape,” he said in the Sportinglife. “Two-and-a-quarter miles is a bit of an unknown, but I’d be confident he’ll get the trip and I think he must go there with every chance.

“The conditions are great for him at the moment, so hopefully the ground doesn’t dry out too much — although he’s a horse who doesn’t really like the hustle and bustle and there are a lot of runners,” Collum added.

“Hopefully Cam [Hardie, jockey] can get a nice run on him and he gets a bit of luck on the day. You always need a lot of luck in these races.”

The main threats appear to be Quick Jack, a recent winner at the Galway Festival, and Big Easy, who aims to secure a second Cesarewitch for trainer Philip Hobbs after Detroit City in 2006.

Assessing the chances of Quick Jack, trainer Tony Martin told Racing FM: “He had a nice break after Galway, putting on a lot of weight, and has been back in work a good month now.

“I said there’s no point going here, there and everywhere, we’d try to pick a race that was suitable.

“We only inherited him last year, he doesn’t carry a lot of weight and, as he’s only five, we thought we’d not over-race him and it seems to work.”

Big Easy was narrowly beaten in last month’s Cesarewitch Trial over course and distance and Hobbs said: “He might have been slightly unlucky in the Trial.

“I have been particularly happy with his condition since then and logically you would expect him to improve for that run.”