Namrood aims to capture feature Liwa Oasis prize in Abu Dhabi

Fawzi Nass’s RB Stryngs Attached is favourite in Arabian Triple Crown Round-2

Antonio Fresu guides Namrood to victory in the Group 3 Al Ruwais in Abu Dhabi on February 2, 2023. Adiyat Racing Plus

Namrood’s trainer and owner will be hoping he can land back-to-back prizes when he returns to Abu Dhabi to challenge for the Group 2 Liwa Oasis for the Purebred Arabians in the six-race card on Thursday.

The Musabah Al Muhairy-trained six-year-old General gelding took home the Group 3 Al Ruwais five weeks ago on the capital's track under Antonio Fresu, who is in the saddle again.

Namrood has not produced a bad race in his four starts so far this season and remains a big player over the extended 1,400-metre distance.

Ernst Oertel sends out AF Alajaj. Tadhg O’Shea’s mount has run five times on the turf, winning three of them, but his two biggest victories to date have been on the dirt at Meydan Racecourse, in the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah last year and the Group 2 Baniyas over the track and trip in November.

Ibrahim Al Hadhrami is triple handed in the race, with Bahar Muscat under Ray Dawson looking like the pick of them.

The five-year-old son of AF Albahar was third in his penultimate start in the Group 3 National Day Cup in December. Before that, he won he won a conditions race over the track and trip, and will appreciate the return to turf and shorter trip after finishing well beaten in The GCC Cup over 1,700m on the Sharjah dirt.

Arif and Ihtesham are the other Al Hadhrami entries, and both hold solid claims for the Omani trainer.

For Hamad Al Marar, Pat Dobbs partners Suny Du Loup, runner-up to Bahar Muscat in the conditions race over this course and distance. He is certainly another to consider and has won twice since, albeit over 2,200m, in the capital.

The Group 3 Arabian Crown Round-2 has attracted a field of 12 with RB Stryngs Attached a fascinating contender under Adrie de Vries for Bahraini trainer Fawzi Nass.

A full-brother to the same connections’ Group 1 winner RB Rich Lyke Me, the colt was runner-up on his racecourse debut after blowing the start and was an impressive winner in his next start, both in Abu Dhabi.