AF Majalis shows true grit to edge Jinjal in Wathba Stallions Cup for the Purebred Arabians

'It was a very good performance carrying 60kgs,' said winning jockey Tadhg O'Shea

Tadhg O’Shea on-board AF Majalis battles it out to the line with Fabrice Veron atop Jinjal at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday. Courtesy Cedric Lane / ERA

AF Majalis took the honours in the Wathba Stallions Cup for the Purebred Arabians in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to complete a double for trainer Ernst Oertel and his stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea.

O’Shea, aboard AF Majalis carrying top weight, had to battle all the way to the line before edging out Fabrice Veron atop Jinjal by a neck. Two more Oertel runners – Noof KB and AF Thobor – came home third and fourth respectively.

“It was a very good performance carrying 60kgs,” O’Shea said of the five-year-old son of AF Albahar.

“He won his last two races and is a horse that likes this track and a horse that’s going places. A good tough and honest performance tonight.”

Earlier, O’Shea and Oertel were in the winner’s enclosure with AF Sumoud.

“He’s a beautiful looking Arabian and took a couple of runs to learn what’s required and after tonight he’ll go forward,” O’Shea said after the colt broke his maiden tag at his third attempt.

Almahroosa under Veron made all to lead a one-two finish for trainer Eric Lemartinel in the third race, a maiden over 1,200 metres.

She went down by a neck in her first two starts over the 1,400m distances before being unplaced over the longer 1,600m trip in her last start.

“She’s a good filly and I wasn’t surprised of her win tonight after being beaten by a neck on her first two starts,” Veron said.

“She has lot of speed and loves the grass [track]. All today for me is good. A good draw and she got in front and stayed on strongly.”

Ali Rashid Al Raihe’s Adventurous under Sandro Paiva took the concluding handicap for the thoroughbreds in a thriller, a neck, nose and neck separating the first four home.

The fourth winner in the week for Al Raihe moved him level on 16 wins with Salem bin Ghadayer in the UAE trainer’s championship.