Jim Crowley off to flyer for Sheikh Hamdan on opening night of Dubai World Cup Carnival

AF Mathmoon and Jim Crowley win the Al Maktoum Challenge at the first Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting on January 5, 2017. Dubai Racing Club / Andrew Watkins

DUBAI // Jim Crowley left an indelible mark on his first day at work for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, while the UAE’s leading jockey Tadhg O’Shea on Le Bernadin retained his hold on the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 for thoroughbreds.

Crowley completed a double, including the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 for Purebred Arabians, on the opening meeting of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday night.

The British Champion Jockey, who replaced Paul Hanagan as the first jockey for the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Finance Minister, rode a perfectly judged race on-board AF Mathmoon for an impressive win by more than eight lengths in the first race on the card.

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AF Mathmoon — who finished fifth behind RB Burn in the Group 1 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown in his first start for the season, and was runner up to Shateh in his next race at Meydan in the Group 2 Baniyas — seemed to have benefited from those two runs under his belt.

Crowley had the Dubai Kahayla Classic winner well-placed in third before taking him on a strong run.

As the field came into the home stretch, he strode clear of RB Burn and Manark — the 2015 Kahayla Classic winner who ran a blinder when returning to the racetrack after more than a year.

Crowley completed the double when making all of the running on Ertijaal in the fourth race — the Longines Master Collection — over the sprint distance of 1,000 metres.

O’Shea, who rode Le Bernadin to claim the biggest prize — $250,000 (Dh918,000) — of the seven-race card, believes the winner can be a contender for the Godolphin Mile on Dubai World Cup night on March 25.

“He should come back from another race like this and ideally earn an entry to the Godolphin Mile which he missed last year,” O’Shea said.

“He’s not lost any of his abilities despite advancing age [eight]. Tonight, he proved he can race in front as well as from behind.

“They always tend to go faster over the mile and I had to race in mid-division for most of the trip. Once I got him out he found an extra gear to go clear.”

The first of the six prizes for the thoroughbreds went to France.

Christophe Soumillion on Golden Wood in the Longines La Grande Classique got ahead in the last couple of strides to pip Carbon Dating under O’Shea at the winning post.

Soumillon produced a similar ride to get South African trainer Mike de Kock off the mark on Light The Lights, again getting ahead in the last few strides to edge out Championship in the Listed Singspeil Stakes.

Mizbah sprang a surprise to take the second race. The eight-year-old gelding — under Sam Hitchcott — won over the 1,900m distance in a track-record time.

Godolphin got one on the board when William Buick came with a late run on the Charlie Appleby-trained Flash Fire to take the last race.

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