Ali Rashid Al Raihe saddled Mutual Force to victory in the feature event Saturday of the inaugural international race day at the Jinma Lake Racecourse, becoming the first Emirati trainer to win in mainland China.
Ridden by Britain’s Royston Ffrench Mutual Force won the Dh886,755 fifth race, the Chengdu Dubai International Cup, on the turf at Wenjiang, in south-west China. The one-time Royal Ascot winner Pisco Sour was second with his Satish Seemar-trained stablemate Layali Al Andalus third.
Al Raihe and Musabah Al Muhairi each saddled two winners, and Ffrench rode two in the meet, which was a Meydan Group initiative in partnership with the Chengdu Municipal Government. The city of more than seven million is the fourth-biggest city in China.
More than 60 horses from the UAE took part in the meet. They were prepared by Dubai Racing Club-sanctioned trainers and ridden by UAE-based jockeys.
It was the fourth victory for Mutual Force, who won at Meydan on February 1.
“I’m very happy to be here, representing the UAE and Britain, and delighted to have ridden a double,” Ffrench said.
Ffrench rode Al Raihe’s Albayan to victory in the first race, the Wenjiang Sprint over 1,200 metres. Al Muhairi saddled winners Special Boy in the Guangsha Handicap and Colour Guard in the Wenjiang-Meydan Classic.
The co-feature Meydan Mile provided a milestone for trainer Erwan Charpy, whose Citizen’s Charter provided him with his 500th win. He has 492 victories in the UAE and seven in France.
“I could never have imagined I would train my 500th winner in China, but it’s been great fun, a great day and we should compliment everyone who tackled the challenge of putting the event together,” he said.
Frank Gabriel, the Dubai Racing Club chief executive, said: “I would like to thank all the trainers, jockeys and stable staff for their dedication, preparation, and to thank everyone involved in the partnership with Meydan Group, for their tremendous support … Thanks to everyone’s hard work, everything has gone well. Also, we had a good crowd and everyone seems to have enjoyed the day.”
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