Top handlers Doug Watson and Bhupat Seemar, who have an abundance of riches in their respective Dubai yards, have played dominant roles at Meydan Racecourse this season, amassing 15 winners between them.
That trend looks set to continue when racing returns to its UAE headquarters on Thursday where the six-race card is sponsored by the Dubai Chamber who acknowledges the key roles played by Foreign Councils in the country by naming the races after them.
The feature of the evening is a 1,400 metre rated conditions event named after the Czech Business Council, which has attracted a quality field of nine, many of whom have already stamped their tickets to the 2022 Dubai World Cup Carnival.
Heading the weights is the Watson-trained Khuzaam who made a promising UAE debut when running a competitive third behind stable companion Al Tariq at Jebel Ali Racecourse on November 26.
A Shadwell homebred, the five-year-old gelded son of multiple Grade 1 producing American stallion Kitten’s Joy has notched four wins on the all-weather in Britain when previously raced by Roger Varian.
Watson said: “He had a really promising first run at Jebel Ali. He has a nice draw and we’ll see how he goes
“This isn’t on the all-weather but I think he’ll go on it (dirt). He works very well on it at home and hopefully he gets a good position early and comes home well. But the trip’s right for him.”
Shadwell’s retained stable jockey Dane O’Neill has ridden Khazeen both at Jebel Ali and back in England, commented: “I rode the horse once in England, back in May 2019 after which he had wind surgery which really helped him.
