The Arabian Racehorse magazine has been supporting UK Arabian racing since 2015. This year we were given the opportunity to return to Newbury's grade one track, to sponsor an international conditions race over 1m2f. In recent years the race formed part of the DIAR prep series and has been won by horses of the calibre of Mith'haf Athbah and Sharesa, both went on to win Group 1PA races in the UK and in Qatar respectively.
When this race was last run on 25th June 2019, it was a one-two for the James Owen trained pair with Al Kaaser beating Farhaa a length. They re-oppose today, with Al Kaaser now the top rated horse in the UK on 108. He will be ridden by Shadwell Estates first jockey Jim Crowley, whilst Dane O'Neill takes the ride on Loolwa. She is the highest rated mare in the UK on 95, and with only three runs to her name connections must be hopeful of further progression. Third in the UK Derby on her debut last season, she got off the mark at Wolverhampton in November, giving the Late HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum his final UK Arabian winner.
After that win, both her jockey Kevin Stott and trainer Phil Collington, confirmed that a return to Turf on a galloping track should bring about further improvement. Runner-up on that occasion was Farhaa, though she looks fully exposed and is tried again in cheekpieces, it is interesting that all her three wins have come for female jockeys. Here she will be ridden by Hollie Doyle for the first time.
Jadaayil is another to have got the better of Farhaa. She looked to have progressed from her last UK outing when putting in a professional performance, up in trip at Doncaster on her reappearance on June 5th, where Toofan finished nearly seven lengths behind in fifth. He was the winner of thearabianracehorse.com maiden stakes over a mile and was making both his seasonal and Turf debut. That outing will not doubt have brought him on and he will have the added assistance of first time cheekpieces and a drop back in trip. Awtaar, who finished well down the field at Doncaster, may also appreciate less of a stamina test.
The field is completed by three maidens, Labwah is from the family of No Risk Al Maury, and is a half sister to a dual winning miler. Nicki Thorne's Akala Sunbird is by her stallion Tidarbret, who was a length second over over course and distance to multiple Group 1PA winner Jaafer in a similar contest in 2012. Whilst Steve Blackwell's Aloof is out of a half-sister to Mehdaaf Athbah, a winner of the second leg of this race in 2019. She will also be the first UK runner for 2011 Kahayla Classic winner Seraphin Du Paon.
