Dubai: Leading jockey Richard Mullen is eagerly anticipating his first scheduled ride of the season aboard the ageless Tiz Now Tiz Then on Friday at Jebel Ali — a racecourse he says provides the true test of a thoroughbred.
Mullen, who tops the UAE jockeys’ championship with 21 winners, partners the nine-year-old gelded son of Tiznow in the 1,800-metre Jebel Ali Stakes Prep, where the pair face seven rivals.
Discussing his chances during a media briefing at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Tuesday, the Zabeel Stables-retained rider said: “You have to wait for these types of races for him, but he’s a very enthusiastic horse, he looks fantastic and is in very good form.
“He’s getting old and you have to keep planning races a bit differently for him. And, like any Premiership footballer who’s getting on in age and can’t be expected to play in every game, it’s the same case with him, you can’t run him week in, week out — you’ve got to save his legs.
“But he absolutely loves this track, where he set a track record two seasons ago. Like the rest of the horses back home, he’s in top condition and it makes my job a lot easier,” the 38-year-old two-time Steve Cauthen Award-winning rider said of the 2008 Listed Iowa Derby winner.
Mullen believes the Jebel Ali track has one of the toughest, most stamina-sapping surfaces he has ever ridden on.
“It offers the toughest test for both horse and jockey,” he said. “To perform well at Jebel Ali, a horse must have speed, stamina and balance and has to be very fit to cope with the sharp turns and the stiff uphill climb to the finish.
“It’s a unique race track and I’m very fortunate the I have had the opportunity to ride horses that handle the surface, like Terrific Challenge and Tiz Now Tiz Then.
“The other thing about Jebel Ali is that they have created a great family atmosphere here and, being a family man as well, I enjoy the races where you get to meet the younger generation of people who want to get involved in racing.”
Bhupat Seemar, assistant trainer to long-serving Zabeel Stables maestro Satish Seemar, also talked up the unique nature of racing at Jebel Ali and the success his stable has enjoyed this season, with 17 winners and 33 placings.
“For the last three seasons, our horses have been running well and I would like to put it down to having a very, very good team at home,” he said. “Everything is done to military precision and we try not to leave any stone unturned.
“We’re also very patient with our horses and give them a lot of time to recover from their races. If they’re not ready, we don’t run them, it’s as simple as that.
“Regarding horses like Tiz Now Tiz Then, for whatever reason, our horses improve with age... we won the Jebel Ali Sprint with Terrific Challenge as an eight-year-old. So perhaps we get to know our horses better as they get older and persevere with them.”
Shareef Al Halawani, the Jebel Ali Racecourse manager, extended his thanks to the representatives of Friday’s race sponsors and said they will continue to deliver the best racing experience possible both for fans and their families.
