ABU DHABI // Time Out proved his credentials for a crack at the National Day Cup in two weeks with an imposing victory and provided the trainer-jockey combination of Ernst Oertel and Tadhg O'Shea a double in the capital's third race meeting of the season.
"He is a very good horse. It was his first run in a handicap for many years and he won very well," said O'Shea, the UAE champion jockey, who now rides as first choice for the Al Asayl Stables.
"He has always been contesting in Group races and very good races. You would probably see him at the National Day Cup and it will take a lot to beat him."
Mestor, under Royston Ffrench, bowled along in front until they approached the final bend at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club. O'Shea made steady progress from the middle of the nine-runner field before hitting the front to turn the 1,600m race in to a procession.
Takaamul, trained by Gillian Duffield and ridden by Sam Hitchcott, came from a long way behind to take second with Mestor in third.
It was Time Out's first win in more than a year, taking his career victories to seven from 32 starts.
He made his first appearance of the season when finishing fourth behind Areem in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup, a race with Prestige status and run over the course and distance.
Salem Al Ketbi, the racing manager for the Abu Dhabi stables of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE, believes the nine-year-old chestnut son of Al Nasr has returned to his best.
"He has never been better than what we have seen of him for a long time," Al Ketbi said."He is one of the older horses to have competed well for us for several seasons. His two runs this season have been very impressive and [we will] hopefully see more of him."
O'Shea had earlier steered Najm Alemarat to a debut victory in the second race. The colt had arrived from France with three races under his belt and lived up to the top billing in the Maiden run over 1,600m.
Malthouse made almost all the running under Patrick Cosgrave to win the solitary prize for the thoroughbreds from Dr Faustus and Kal Barg over the 2,200m trip.The four-year-old gelded son of Green Desert trained by Satish Seemar showed remarkable improvement in only his second race in the UAE. He tailed off over the shorter 1,600m two weeks ago.
Jesus Rosales steered Ameer Al Reef to take the opener for the trainer Jaber Bittar, Dane O'Neill took the third on Aqmaar for Musabah Al Muhairi and Richard Mullen won the penultimate prize on Yazan for Tony Manuel.
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