Feature for Watson, Oertel scores a hat-trick and doubles for Crosse and Mazur at Sharjah

By Duane Fonseca

Sharjah: Doug Watson snapped up all the podium spots in the Sharjah feature Saturday afternoon as Galvanize, Golden Goal and Native Appeal finished in that order for the Red Stables boss in the HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup Presented by Longines.

Galvanize (right) winning the Sharjah feature for Watson in the hands of apprentice rider Nathan Crosse (ERA)

It was a brilliant day for trainer Ernst Oertel as well, with the South African handler scoring a hat-trick that took him up to second in the UAE Trainers’ Championship behind Watson. Oertel with nine trails Watson, who added to his total with victory in the feature, by two.

The feature was a handicap over 1700m and apprentice rider Nathan Crosse delivered victory aboard Galvanize, who pipped stable companion Golden Goal, ridden by Pat Dobbs, by a head. Third home, a further two lengths in arrears, were Sandro Paiva and Native Appeal.

Fawzi Nass’ trained Madhkal set the pace for most of the race under Adrie de Vries, going around everyone and to the front after breaking from Gate 12. Salem bin Ghadayer’s Royston Ffrench driven Untold Secret, out of Gate 13, followed him and was hot on his heels with Galvanize settled along the rail by Crosse.

Madhkal led the field into the straight, but as Galvanize started to pounce with stablemate Golden Goal, he started to weaken and failed to finish sixth. Galvanize and Crosse had meanwhile done just enough to hold on the stiff challenge of the Dobbs ridden Golden Goal, who was nearest at the finish.

Native Appeal, for his part, pushed hard by Paiva, ran on strongly to steal third from Karnavaal.

It was Crosse’s second victory on the card after he clinched the 1200m maiden for Purebred Arabaians with Mohammed Ramadan’s AF Sahwa.

Crosse was one of two riders to post doubles on the card, the other, Poland’s Szczepan Mazur won back to back races in the form of two Purebred Arabian handicaps for Oertel.

He first won the 1000m contest with AF Thobor and made it a quick double bringing AF Mezmar home first in the 2000m run that followed, which also completed the scoring for Oertel, whose first success came in partnership with UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O’Shea, winner of the card opening 1200m maiden with AF Thayer.

Victory took O’Shea ahead in the race to defend his jockeys’ title, but the lead turned out to be provisional for the Irish rider as he was forced to share the summit with Bernardo Pinheiro, who also collected a seventh victory for the season when winning the card closing 1700m PA handicap with the Mohammed Daggash schooled Ajaj.

Ajaj (ERA)

AF Thobor (ERA)

AF Mezmar (ERA)

AF Thayer (ERA)

AF Sahwa (ERA)