Dubai: Last weekend he could only be a bystander as his brother-in-law Ali Rashid Al Raihe feasted on a quartet of winners at Meydan racecourse.
Now reigning UAE champion Emirati handler Musabah Al Muhairi believes that it’s his ‘turn’ as he gets set to launch his star sprinter, Muarrab, at the 2016 Dubai World Cup Carnival’s second meeting.
A seven-year-old son of Oasis Dream, Muarrab has without doubt been one of the best sprinters on the domestic ciruit over the past four seasons, with nine storming victories including eight at his favourite track at Jebel Ali.
However, on Thursday he faces possibly his toughest test yet when he contests the Listed Dubawi Stakes, the first of several key sprints that lead to the $2-million (Dh7.34 million) Dubai Golden Shaheen (Group 1), on Dubai World Cup night, his principal target for the year.
“He’s a really nice horse to have in the stable and is perhaps a much better horse now than he was last last year,” said Al Muhairi.
“He’s a high quality sprinter who loves Jebel Ali, but ever since we started to train him on the dirt at Meydan he has adapted very well as he showed with his performance in the Garhoud Sprint last month.”
On that occasion, Muarrab, who is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, trounced his rivals to win the 1,200m contest by 5 1/4 lengths.
“He’s ready to do what he did in that race, although this definitely is a step up in class,” said Al Muhairi. “But I’m happy with how he came out of the race. He’s been training well and I think he will improve with every race.
Should Muarrab run well on Thursday, Al Muhairi, who as a jockey in the early seventies competed in bareback races on the beaches of Ajman against Al Raihe, says he will map out a plan of build-up races that lead to the Golden Shaheen.
“It’s always a trainer’s target to win big races and he’s a horse that has given us hope that we can strive for top races at the Carnival,” he said.
“The Al Shindagaha Sprint (G3) on February 11 could be his next stop and I would have loved to run him in the Jebel Ali Sprint (Listed, March 4) and the Mahab Al Shimaal (G3, March 5, Meydan), but that’s not possible, is it?
“It’s disappointing to have two top sprint races on successive days, because it will be asking too much of your horse to run him in both.
“So you have to really decide which one of them will be best for the horse, but it’s not an easy decision to make, because each race is equally important in it’s own way.”
Muarrab will face nine rivals on Thursday, including Scandinavian champion Let’sgoforit, a winner of seven starts in Sweden, 2013 Dubai Golden Shaheen and 2015 Dubawi Stakes victor Reynaldothewizard and veteran globetrotter Krypton Factor, who is owned and trained by Bahrain’s Fawzi Nass.
