Mizzna can pick up where she left off

Amith Passela

• Last Updated: November 14. 2009 8:43PM UAE / November 14. 2009 4:43PM GMT

Mizzna, left, is back from leg surgery and backed to win National Day Cup Prep tonight. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

ABU DHABI // Eric Lemartinel is expecting it to be a walk in the park for Mizzna in the National Day Cup Prep, a race for Purebred Arabians at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club’s second meeting of the season tonight.

The seven-year-old chestnut daughter of Al Anood, the best Arabian mare to race in the country, is back after keyhole surgery for a chipped bone in her left front leg kept her out of action for a year.

Mizzna is unbeaten in her last six starts and returns to a race which saw her last appearance on the track. Her career record stands at 10 wins, four seconds and a third in 15 starts and her trainer is confident that she has retained her ability despite the setback.

“She is the Mizzna we all know. She’s in great shape. She may still need the run but I will be surprised if she gets beat in this company,” said Lemartinel.

“She has been working well and has not lost the abilities to win more races.”

The French handler is double handed in the featured mile event, as he is also running the 2007 UAE Arabian Derby winner Shadiyda.

“We can’t find a suitable race for him. The mile trip is too sharp but we need to give him a run before the President’s Cup, which is over 2,200 metres, and his main target,” he said.

Mizzna (116) and Shadiyda (105) are the two highest rated of the 10 entries. Mizzna will be ridden by the Bahrain-based French jockey Gerald Avranche and the Irishman Tadhg O’Shea, who rode the champion mare to her last six victories, takes the ride on Shadiyda.

“Mizzna is the first choice and Gerald is booked because Tadgh may not be available as he is retained by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid,” said Lemartinel.

“Shadiyda will take his chance and will run his own race. This distance is too sharp for him but he is a horse with a lot of ability and I expect him to run a big race too.”

Time Out, Nadir Du Bac and Palapal are expected to fight for the minor placing along with last year’s surprise UAE Derby winner Ibn Abeya.

The thoroughbred equivalent of the National Day Cup Prep, the final event in the six-race card, has drawn a more competitive field over the same trip.

Eddie Jock, trained by Satish Seemar and ridden by Richard Mullen, tops the scales and heads the field of the 10 runners in the 85 and above rated handicap.

The five-year-old gelded son of the Dubai World Cup winner Almutawakel was unplaced in all four starts at the Dubai Carnival last season. However, having spent the summer with the sunshine on his back, he should be ready to win on his reappearance.

apassela@thenational.ae