Jebel Ali kicks off bigger and better UAE season on Friday

Bigger and better, the UAE racing campaign kicks off at Jebel Ali on Friday as the first of 67 scheduled meetings, across five courses, during a season extended into April for the first time since 2006.

The four meetings in April, two at both Meydan and Al Ain, are the crux of five added to the season’s fixture list.

Just as importantly, prize-money at Meydan has been boosted in all three categories with the Dubai World Cup card, on Saturday, March 30, 2019, worth $35 million this season (up from $30m).

Jebel Ali cards and form

The $12m Dubai World Cup is again the world's richest race after the reduction of prize-money for the Pegasus Wold Cup (to $9m, with the new Pegasus World Cup Turf to be worth $7m).

Preceding the big night is the Dubai World Cup Carnival, where prize-money has been boosted 12 per cent to $12,670,000, with notable increases for all three rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge, as well as all races on 'Super Saturday'.

Domestic Meydan racing has received a nine per cent rise - basically $15,000 per race - and all such meetings will feature seven races.

That is also the case this season at Jebel Ali which, as a result, stages 11 extra contests over the duration of the campaign. A lot of remedial work has reportedly been carried out on the Jebel Ali dirt surface.

Friday’s opening meeting is highlighted by a very competitive 7f handicap on a card Nicholas Bachalard saddles his first runners as master of Jebel Ali Stables.

The Frenchman who, when based in Saudi Arabia won the 2017 UAE 1,000 Guineas with Nashmiah, has four runners on the card including two in the feature.

With Haalick a non-runner, Chris Hayes, returning as stable jockey at Jebel Ali, rides Sholaan.

Tadhg O'Shea: UAE champion jockeyCredit: Getty Images

UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea has moved to the Zabeel Stables of Satish Seemar alongside Richard Mullen, with Ronan Whelan replacing the champion with Ali Rashid Al Rayhi at Grandstand Stables.

Ben Curtis is riding for Musabbeh Al Mheiri, while Billy Lee, who had a successful spell in the UAE as an apprentice, is teaming up with Musabbeh Al Mheiri.

Other familiar names, both locally and in Europe, include Royston Ffrench, who is with Sandeep Jadhav, where he will be joined by Mickael Barzalona come the carnival in January.

Dane O’Neill is riding the pick of Hamdan Al Maktoum’s horses before Jim Crowley arrives, and champion trainer Doug Watson again has the services of Pat Dobbs and Sam Hitchcott.

Connor Beasley is first jockey for Ahmad bin Harmash, Ismail Mohammed teams up with Fabrice Veron, and Pat Cosgrave has picked up the plumb Purebred Arabian post with Eric Lemartinel.

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