Oertel and Seemar share honours at Sharjah’s penultimate season meeting

Both trainers taste success in six-race card on Saturday

Ray Dawson on AF Thayer won the Crown Prince of Sharjah for Purebred Arabians in Sharjah on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Photo: DHRIC

Ernst Oertel and Bhupat Seemar walked away with the two feature prizes that were up for grabs at Sharjah’s penultimate race meeting of the season on Saturday.

Oertel’s AF Thayer under Ray Dawson was a convincing winner of the Crown Prince of Sharjah, a 1,200-metre sprint for Purebred Arabians with 'prestige' status.

Dawson eased AF Thayer into contention just after half way and, once in front about 400m out, they were never going to be denied. The homebred five year old has now won half of his eight career starts.

Seemar bagged the Dh200,000 Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Handicap for thoroughbreds with George Villiers ridden by Antonio Fresu.

The Italian jockey was content to bide his time before challenging on the home turn.

Once he pushed, his mount shot to the front to record a relatively comfortable win from Far Sky and stable companion Miller’s House by two and three-quarter lengths and two and-a-quarter lengths respectively.

The seven-year-old Dubawi gelding recorded his sixth career success and fourth in the UAE having scored on the Meydan dirt track three times.

Fresu completed a double by taking the concluding handicap on Abubakar Daud’s Es Abu Mousa.

Fresu clearly thought he was going to win from a long way out and his mount, a six year old , certainly did not disappoint and sauntered clear over the final 200m to register a second career victory.