Otaared overcomes injury

Sarah Tregoning

• Last Updated: November 20. 2009 7:32PM UAE / November 20. 2009 3:32PM GMT

Dhruba Selvaratnam's Otaared shook off a long-standing injury niggle to claim the Dh120,000 Shadwell Farm Conditions feature at Jebel Ali, setting himself up as a January Carnival contender in the process.

The Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid-owned four-year-old stormed the uphill finish, emerging from the rear of the field to finish the convincing victor of the seven furlong contest for jockey William Buick.

Though he did not take the feature, in-form champion trainer, Doug Watson and owner, Malih al Basti, won almost everything else, making four trips to the winner’s enclosure.

Buick and Selvaratnam, who are based at Jebel Ali, have also teamed up to great effect so far this season, with Otaared’s success marking their third win from three home meetings.

Stress fractures to his shins kept Otaared off the track since October last year, and Selvaratnam has taken his time with the horse.

But Otaared showed no signs of tenderness yesterday, winning by three-and-three-quarter-lengths.

Behind him the Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed-owned Minefield, under David Badel and trained by Erwan Charpy ran a good race in second while Watson’s fancied Shopton Lane, under Daragh O’Donohoe and owned by al Basti, was third.

“Otaared was running after a year off because he has had problems so we brought him on slowly,” said the Sri Lanka-born trainer. “That run has shown me he is definitely going to be one of our few Carnival horses. I will probably be looking to run him in a similar race and then we will lay off him until the Carnival.”

In what is becoming something of a habit at Jebel Ali, Watson and Tadhg O’Shea combined to claim the opening race for the third time in as many meetings.

“We like the first,” said the trainer after his runner, Bur Dubai, who, like all of Watson’s runners looked very fit, romped up for al Basti in the Al Shafar Group Maiden. The US-bred gelding had come close behind Ibn al Nafis three weeks ago, and the extra distance in the seven furlong contest suited him well.

“He was probably a run or two short when we got him here for the first meet,” said Watson. Half an hour later another al Basti-owned horse, Lord Ego, claimed a four-length victory in the seven furlong Al Shafar Investment Benchmark Handicap for O’Donohoe.

“He needed a run,” said Watson. “I wasn’t as keen on him this time as I was for his first race, but he was obviously fit enough.”

Alsadeek, under Richard Mullen, was another al Basti-owned winner, making it look easy in the five furlong Commercial Bank of Dubai and giving Watson his third victory.

Rashid Boursely got a look in when his filly, Summer Games won the nine furlong Damas Handicap under Wayne Smith, but Watson and al Basti were back on top for the last race when Weald, ridden by Smith, took the 9.75 furlong Emirates Airline Conditions race.

stregoning@thenational.ae