DUBAI // Trainer Doug Watson and stable jockey Pat Dobbs crowned a great weekend with the ultra gutsy winning performance of Jutland in the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes on Friday.
Trainer and jockey had celebrated a memorable victory on the opening night of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Thursday with the unbeaten Faulkner.
Dobbs set out to make all the running in the 1,950-metre feature at Jebel Ali, a race in which they had finished runner-up in 2013, but the pair were passed at the 200m by Mawhub.
Ridden by Richard Mullen for his main employer, Satish Seemar, Mawhub looked certain to complete his third Jebel Ali victory of the season, only to be outstayed at the death by Watson’s charge.
“He won well here in November and we decided then to wait until today. That decision has been vindicated,” Watson said.
“He tries so hard he can take the edge off so the break suited him.
“We will have to look at Meydan and the Carnival turf races over staying trips for him now but we will keep him fresh.”
Out of luck in the feature, Mullen did record a double on the day, which was initiated by victory in the only Purebred Arabian race on the card, the opening 1,600m conditions race.
The win also provided the perfect opportunity for Dig Dagon to double his career tally and register a first dirt victory in the process.
Trained by Jaber Bittar, he led close to home and was given a confident ride by Richard Mullen who said: “I was happy to take my time and only really asked him at halfway and he picked up well.”
Mullen completed his double with the last-gasp victory of Al Razi in the concluding 1,200m conditions race. Trained by Seemar, Mullen’s mount denied stable companion Spin Cycle in the dying strides in a six-horse race in which the first four home were separated by a length.
Rashed Bouresly had not trained a winner in the UAE since February 2012 and remedied that in style with the victory of Jayed Jidan in the 1,600m Jebel Ali Mile Prep.
Having only his second start locally, the winner was also providing Spaniard jockey Oscar Urbina a first winner in the UAE.
“He really pleased us on his only previous start for us and has stepped up on that,” the jockey said.
“We have some nice new horses and, hopefully, some more winners to look forward to.”
The other two races on the card were both 1,400m handicaps with the better of the two going to Art Wave, ridden by Silvestre De Sousa for his main employer Musabah Al Muhairi.
The other contest went to the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Mushaakis, ridden by stable jockey Royston Ffrench.
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