Tadhg O’Shea celebrates 800th winner on 'special horse' Tuz

Trainer Bhupat Seemar considering options for 'one of the world's best sprinters'

Tadhg O'Shea rode the 800th winner of his UAE career at Meydan's New Year's meet aboard Tuz. Pawan Singh / The National

Tadhg O’Shea celebrated his 800th winner in the UAE atop one of his favourite horses, Tuz, at the Dubai Carnival’s New Year meeting at Meydan on Friday.

The Irishman’s victory on the Bhupat Seemar-trained Oxbow gelding extended his position as the all-time leading jockey in the country since he surpassed the earlier record of 503 set by Richard Hills in March 2019.

Tuz and O’Shea were impressive winners of the Group 3 Dubai Stakes. The horse and rider were also completing a hat-trick after their previous success in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at last year's Dubai World Cup and the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint on his reappearance on December 6.

“I've been coming here, like all day. I'm very grateful for the Maktoum family and the great team that I have been working with,” O’Shea said.

O’Shea first arrived in the UAE when he was presented an all-expense paid scholarship by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid to ride in the country when he won the Irish apprentice championship as a 19-year-old jockey in 1998.

“I have been riding here for 24 seasons,” he said. “It was Sheikh Hamdan who brought me out here. I've been coming back ever since. So, forever grateful to him.”

O’Shea, drawn in Gate 2, held the rails as Bernardo Pinheiro on Desperate Hero took him on early in the 1,200-metre sprint. It was one of the rare occasions that Tuz had to race in second.

“I had the draw and wanted to hold the rail. But, you know, we're learning about toes. Down to that first spin, Bernardo was adamant he wanted to go to the front.

“So, I took back and had a breather. I think the key with this horse is that he used to never change his leads. I've been on him every work since the end of September. He really worked on that this year and he's doing it like, thank God, it's two for two now this year.

“Hopefully he keeps doing it because when he gets out on that outside lead down the straight, horses will pay if they go with him.

“He's one of the fastest in the world, he's one of the best sprinters I've ever thrown my leg across; he's got everything, he hits the gates, he travels, and when he gets out on that outside lead and he's a great way to win. He's a special horse.”

Seemar was expecting Desperate Hero to take him on from the outset, which he did on his first outing at Meydan.

“We looked at all the horses' forms this morning. We thought that this horse would probably take him on early,” the Zabeel Stables trainer said of the five-year-old French import.

Seemar has a couple options for Tuz between now and his title defence of the Dubai Golden Shaheen at the Dubai World Cup in March.

“I think I'll have to go back and see. I know that on the first of March is Super Saturday and then the World Cup on 5 April. So that does give us plenty of time,” Seemar said.

“We'll have to have a look. But maybe I don't want to wait two months not to give him a run. We might have to go to Al Shindagha Sprint [January 24] and then just take it on from there.

“There’s lots of options for one of the world's best sprinters.”

Earlier in the card, Connor Beasley denied O’Shea twice from reaching his milestone.

Beasley on Rasas edged out O’Shea and Bombay Bazaar in The Sword of Excellence Stakes, the official feature race in celebration of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed’s graduation from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He completed the double 35 minutes later by steering Golden Vekoma to success, again from O’Shea atop Nimble Boy, by two-and-a-quarter lengths in the UAE 2,000 Guineas Trial.