Cakouet De Bozouls looking to win Saturday feature at Al Ain Ain

By Duane Fonseca

Al Ain: A sharp looking sprint for Purebred Arabians is the highlight of this Saturday’s seven race card at Al Ain and has attracted some of the top names in the division for what is bound to be an interesting dash to the finish.

Contested over a 1000m trip along the straight chute, the race, carrying the biggest prize purse of the seven races on the card, that of Dhs85,000 is for 4yos and above horses with a maximum rating of 90.

Cakouet de Bozouls winning the Al Ain Mile will be favourite to win tonight (ERA)

And in keeping with those terms, the event has attracted a strong field with Cakouet De Bozouls and Ghazwan Al Khalediah the joint heavyweights with an identical top rating of 90. Khalifa Al Neyadi’s AF Almajhaz is the lowest rated at 48 with Ahmed Al Shemaili’s Jinjal rated only slightly above at 50, along with Majed Al Jahoori’s Shawall and Qaiss Aboud’s AF Lewaa.

Royal Cavalry Oman owned pair of Al Mobher and Arif, both schooled by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami are somewhere in between the above mentioned and the top rated.

Cakouet De Bozouls’ only ever UAE success was claimed here and for former trainer Ahmed Al Mehairbi when winning the PA Prestige Al Ain Mile in March 2018. Since then he’s only ever finished in the money spots once when battling to third in the Group 2 Bani Yas in November that year.

Now in the charge of Mohamed Daggash, whose stable has shown good early form, with five wins in 15 dispatches, things might be a shade better if he comes forward from his season opening run in this year’s renewal of the Bani Yas in which he finished a lowly ninth.

If Cakouet De Bozouls lacked spirit in that run, so did Ghazwan Al Khalediah, who will also be looking for redemption here after finishing a spot behind him. But what is bound to work in favour of the latter is the fact that he has shown a real affinity for the track over the years and won twice over course and distance here in February and then March 2019. And trainer Helal Al Alawi will surely be willing to forget that opening 10th place finish now that he steps up to tackle what seems his optimal trip.

The pair have to be sharp though as Al Mobher and Arif have both registered track and trip victories in the past and will be looking to score for another in-form trainer in Al Hadhrami. The teammates scored second and third respectively for Al Hadhrami on their seasonal bows here in October when finishing behind Jayide Al Boraq, who subsequently won this year’s Bani Yas with a late flourish at Meydan a fortnight ago.

The quality inherent in the field doesn’t stop with the above and runs all the way down to AF Lewaa, Jinjal and AF Almajhaz who have all also won over 1000m here and should have the ability to surprise.

Five other Purebred Arabian contests, comprising four maidens and a handicap, and a Thoroughbred affair are part of the schedule as well. The maidens are to be contested over 1000m, 1400m, 1600m and 2000m trips, while the 1600m handicap is another reserved for 4yos and above rated 0-70.

HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan owned RB Grynade trained by Eric Lemartinel is the joint top heavyweight in the field alongside AF Kal Noor and Salb, who represent the yards of Ernst Oertel and Al Hadhrami respectively.

RB Grynade shed his maiden status in a track and trip contest in 2017 and must be respected after showing a real liking for a surface on which his most recent victory was over the slightly longer 1800m. Third in the Prestige Handicap Final Leg of the Al Ain Marathon Series on his season ending run last term, the versatile 6yo Burning Sand horse might just hold the edge over AF Kal Noor.

Oertel’s charge will be looking to stretch his unbeaten run to three after closing last season with victories in a 1400m maiden event at Jebel Ali and following up that success with an assertive win in the PA Prestige Ruler of Sharjah Cup over 1700m.

Salb might hold the key for Al Hadhrami having done well all along at a venue where he claimed his first career success in a 2000m maiden, while Oertel’s AF Al Baher, a three time Al Ain winner over 1800m and 2000m, had a terrific season in 2019/20 and could have brought that form forward. He was never out of the top three spots in seven runs, which also included two wins on Jebel Ali’s demanding climb.

Al Neyadi’s AF Ramz is a two time 1400m winner at Al Ain and could also be very much in it having had the benefit of a start here three weeks ago in a 1600m affair.

As far as the 1600m Thoroughbred, Ahmed Al Shemaili’s Miniaturist appears one with plenty of appeal having shown deep reserves of energy during his victory by a neck over 1700m at Sharjah in October. The 7yo Shamardal gelding has never really shown a liking for the Al Ain surface in the past, but being part of this field he might just be in the best position to buck that trend.

Second behind Miniaturist by a neck at Sharjah, Ahmad bin Harmash’s Naaeebb will desire revenge but going by his form thereafter at Jebel Ali, it doesn’t look like his handler will be expecting much from him.

Naaeebb (left) was narrowly denied success at Sharjah this season (ERA)

On the other hand, Erwan Charpy will be expecting King’s Shadow, who was third over C&D here in November 2018, to hog the limelight with a performance worthy of a royal, with stable companion Wings Of Gold perhaps another with an outsiders chance in a race that lacks clarity in terms of favouritism.