Mullen Dictates Victory In Meydan Feature Race

Richard Mullen on Bay Willow return to the winners enclosure

Richard Mullen was seen at his tactical best on Bay Willow on whom he made virtually every yard of the running when claiming the featured 2800m handicap by six lengths at Meydan on Thursday evening.

With only seven runners, none of the jockeys wanted to lead so Mullen took the initiative and set a modest gallop before committing for home about 400m out.

At that stage he was being tracked by hot favourite Averroes, winner of the same race last season, who could not go with him and eventually faded into fourth and was found to have bled after the race. Mullen’s mount shot clear and powered all the way to the line with Royaaty finishing well to snatch second, just as he had behind Averroes last year.

The winner is trained by Satish Seemar and stable jockey Mullen explained: “It was not particularly the plan to lead but nobody else wanted to so I was almost forced to. He enjoyed bowling along and then quickened nicely.”

Seemar added: “That was a great ride by Richard and we will aim him at the staying turf races at the Dubai World Cup Racing Carnival.”

Keiren Fallon returns on Forevertheoptimist

Trainer, Mubarak Bin Shafya and stable jockey, Adrie de Vries combined to win the concluding two races. Busker led the way in the 1600m handicap. With 300m to go the pair were behind a wall of horses but De Vries was able to plot a route through to lead close home.

A delighted jockey said: “He was very game and brave to get through those gaps and seemed to enjoy the hurly burly. He seems to go on any surface and is basically a tough and genuine handicapper who tries his best.”

Fallon and trainer Fawzi Nass after their victory look on
as the winner is a bit fractious in the winners circle

He was back in the winner’s enclosure 30 minutes later having delivered Blue Tiger’s Eye to victory in the concluding 1400m handicap. Turning for home, the pair trailed all their 15 rivals but the horse picked up well in the straight to pass them all and win going away.

De Vries added: “I rode him at Sharjah last time on dirt and he showed nothing so we put the visor on and that, combined with the change of surface, seems to have done the trick. It has been a good night for the yard and a great boost before the big races coming up.”

On a night of exciting finishes, the closest was in the first of two 1400m handicaps in which Ted Durcan produced Dan Chillingworth to lead in the final stride, denying Al Razi who himself had led close home.

The winner is trained by Doug Watson who said: “The horse deserves that as he has run some great races without enjoying much luck in the past.”

Racing opened with a 1600m maiden in which the Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Blue Sea opened his account at the sixth attempt and third locally with stable jockey Royston Ffrench performing the steering.

Kieren Fallon then drove Forevertheoptimist to victory in a 1200m handicap for Fawzi Nass, the same course and distance the pair combined to win last year’s Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen with Krypton Factor.




Next week, January 10, 2013, marks the first Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting of the year at Meydan.