ABU DHABI // There is only one blemish on Mahbooba’s racing CV, a lone defeat in six starts that came when she was outrun by Sniper De Monlau in the middle leg of the Arabian Triple Crown last March.
On either side of that race, the Eric Lemartinel-trained mare had her great rival behind her in the Triple Crown race series last season.
Mahbooba lines up on Sunday night in a rematch with Sniper De Monlau in the Dh3 million President Cup for Purebred Arabians as a firm favourite at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
Mahbooba comes in on the back of two impressive victories this season, the first over 1,600 metres and then next in the President Cup Prep over Sunday night’s distance of 2,200m two weeks ago. Tadhg O’Shea, the four-time UAE champion and the leading jockey this season, retains the ride.
“She is a very nice, young mare who seems to be improving all the time,” O’Shea said.
“This is a strong race, as you would expect for the money, but we are certainly expecting a big run from her. I think Loraa and Sniper De Monlau could be the main dangers.”
Sniper De Monlau tends to hang badly after the final bend.
He did so in each of his five starts at the capital’s right-handed track last season. He was tried over the left-handed Meydan track and, sadly for connections, he did the same thing.
Royston Ffrench, who has ridden him in each of his four most recent outings, is again assigned the task of trying to keep him straight. If Ffrench manages to then Sniper De Monlau certainly will pose the biggest challenge to Mahbooba.
Loraa, trained in Al Ain by Jean de Roualle and ridden by Richard Mullen, was third in the Prep race and should come from that run.
Along with Sniper De Monlau and Loraa, Erwan Charpy will send out Versac Py to stop Lemartinel’s attempt to win a second big prize at the capital’s track after the Frenchman sent RB Burn to land the €1.2m (Dh4.7m) Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown on November 13.
Lemartinel has four others entered in the race, including Abu Alabyad, the winner of this Group 1 prize in 2015 and runner up last year.
The seven-year-old was a runner up behind stablemate Mahbooba in the Prep race in his most recent start.
He is ridden by Gerald Avranche and the one most likely to take up challenge from inside the stable among the other three runners – Nashmee, RB Torch and Shaheer.
The President Cup for the thoroughbreds looks wide-open race.
The Listed event for Dh380,000 is the third on the card and will be run over 1,400m with the maximum 16 runners including Akeed Champion, winner of the Prep race three weeks ago. Satish Seemar trains half of the 16 runners going to post. Akeed Champion will be under the stable jockey Richard Mullen – twice a winner over the course and distance in his three local starts.
Making his local debut is Haalick, an interesting new acquisition of the Jebel Ali Stables trainer Dhruba Selvaratnam.
The four-year-old has won twice, including a Listed prize at the Lingfield all-weather track, in eight career starts when trained by Roger Varian in England.
apassela@thenational.ae
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