One down, seven to go for the Emirati jockey Ahmad Ajtebi. He rode a winner in Abu Dhabi's opening meeting to take his tally to 63 and is now seven short of shedding his apprenticeship, which he hopes to achieve soon.
"But there is no great hurry, I am still enjoying the claim," said Ajtebi, 25, who rode a winner and was placed second four times in the first two meetings of the season in Nad Al Sheba and Abu Dhabi.
"I'm very happy with my progress. God willing, I am looking at a bright career ahead," added Ajtebi, who is the first jockey for the new trainer Mubarak Khalifa bin Shafya.
Shafya is the endurance race horse trainer for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and was a member of the gold medal winning team in the world championship in Malaysia last week.
Ajtebi is also the first jockey for Mohammed Ramadan and is the second choice man for Emirati trainer Ali Rashid al Raihe.
Ajtebi added: "Mubarak has an all-thoroughbred string which we will see soon on the track and Ramadan has a majority of the Purebreds. So there is no clash between the two stables for the moment."
Ajtebi became the first jockey from the region to win at the Royal Ascot meeting earlier this year when he rode the David Nicholls trained 25-1 shot Regal Parade in the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
"For me, riding at the Royal Ascot meeting was itself an experience. And winning there was not only a proud occasion for me but for my country and to all those who have supported me all along."
Ajtebi singles out Yasir Mabrouk, the Emirates Racing Authority's senior clerk of the scales and the official interpreter, as the biggest influence in his professional career.
"He's there with me - 24 hours and 365 days on the phone, whether I'm here or abroad," said Ajtebi. "Of course it was His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who put me on the road to success, for which I am ever so grateful.
"I use to ride camels as a young boy. I enjoyed the thrills and excitement of those bumpy rides.
"And I had the good fortune of meeting His Highness who asked me if I would be interested in riding horses. I was very excited and accepted the offer.
"He arranged for my first lessons on riding and sent me to Ireland for my first formal education, followed by a similar course in Australia. I travelled to South Africa three times and the UK twice as part of my schooling."
It has been a race to the top all the way for Ajtebi, who returns to the domestic season after notching up four winners from 10 rides in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and having spent a successful summer in the UK where he rode 10 winners.
"I think I'm a better and more confident rider than I was last season. So I'm really looking forward to the season ahead. Every trainer or owner likes to have the best jockey on his horse, but I think I can be just as good," smiled Ajtebi, who has ridden winners in eight countries including the UK, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bahrain and Qatar.
"I like riding because it is very challenging. But riding winners is not the only priority for me.
"I want to raise my country's image where ever I ride and show the world the UAE not only own some of the best race horses in the world but they can also produce trainers and jockeys."
apassela@thenational.ae
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
RESULTS
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.
The%20specs
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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