Al Raihe keeps up winning momentum

Report: UAE, Friday

Jebel Ali (dirt)

CHAMPION trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe continued his great run of form by saddling a double at Jebel Ali on Friday afternoon with stable jockey Royston Ffrench in the saddle on Five Cents, who landed the feature 7f conditions race.

Only eight went to post and, in a thrilling finish, the first five home were separated by a length with Ffrench's mount getting a narrow verdict from Escape Route and Otaared, with the three course specialists all looking the likely winners at various stages.

It was Ffrench and Five Cents who prevailed and the jockey said: "Five Cents loves it here at Jebel Ali and seems to have improved this season and that is probably a career-best effort as he had to give weight to the second and third, who we know are hard to beat here."

Ffrench was on Al Raihe's Zain Shamardal, who found only stable companion Sharaayeen too good in a 1m1f handicap with Richard Hills in the saddle on the winner who is owned by his main employer Sheikh Hamdan.

Hills said: "I know the horse well from the UK and he has run well on his three UAE starts prior to this. He deserved a win and he was always going to hold the challenge of the runner-up."

Dhruba Selvaratnam had to wait until the concluding 1m2f handicap to register a winner at the meeting on the course on which he trains for Sheikh Ahmed, with William Buick was at his strongest to drive Tesslam to a hard-fought victory over Amazon River

Rasheed Bouresly had earlier saddled Tropical Blue to win a 6f maiden under Silvestre de Sousa, denying the Doug Watson-trained Ballroom Blitz, but Watson did register a winner with Ted Durcan performing the steering on Classic Blade who was winning for the first time since his victory in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket for Tom Dascombe in 2008.

Watson also saddled the runner-up Daboos and said: "Ted really rides Classic Blade so well as he has to be covered up as long as possible and he has ridden him perfectly today.

"I feel a bit sorry for Daboos, who has run another great race from a poor draw, but it is a brilliant result for the yard."