Dubai Racing Report - By Martin Talty
Nad Al Sheba Review Thursday, December 6th, 2000
Neil Pollard was obviously looking to begin is New Year with the same success he finished the old one however not even he could have dreamed of a better result when racing at Nad Al Sheba resumed after a New Year break.
Pollard has matured into a truly top class jockey with this stint in the Emirates and this was never more evident than with his brilliant ride aboard Snow Kid to land the inaugural Dhs200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint, over the 1,200m turf course.
It was a race that drew the first runner from Godolphin for the year and while Sicnee was outside Snow Kid as the field straightened, he eventually wilted in the final stages to finish fifth in a performance that suggested he may need a little further.
Still the ride of Pollard's was a gem, the young rider knew he had Caballero travelling very comfortably under Greg Hall behind him and when he got a split at the top of the straight, he held up for a few strides keeping Caballero in a pocket.
With Godolphin's Sicnee on his outside, Pollard kept looking around to see how Caballero was going and he saw the horse was travelling just as well as he. Pollard waited and then got a decisive break at about the 200m.
Caballero got out and may have even got to Snow Kid a stride before the line however Snow Kid?s head went down right on the line to prevail by the narrowest of margins.
Caballero?'s run was full of merit, he was resuming here and the run is bound to improve him and the Listed HH The President's Cup looks ideal for him.
It was the first runner for Dubai's newest stable Grandstand and new trainer Nick Robb and Hall's ride on the horse was also perfect and showed just why he has been one of Australia's champion riders for the past 15 years.
The Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate winning jockey has plans to ride in England during the summer break from racing and his presence will be a huge boost to the already strong European riding ranks.
Mutaakkid impressed at his first run in the UAE being right behind the placegetters in fourth while the National day Cup winner, the Richard Hills-ridden Cornish Snow was never out of trouble while Abreeze settled last and was some distance from the leaders on straightening but made some ground along the inside to finish sixth.
Pollard also managed to secure the night's other feature, the ERA Purebred Arabian Stakes, a Dhs140,000 lead-up to the forthcoming Maktoum Challenge.
Hills? troubled passage aboard Cornish Snow and the shock defeat of the highly rated Al Sakbe in the Arabian event was compensated with his victories aboard Horkidee and Arabian, both for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Paddy Rudkin earlier in the programme.
Eddie Ahern also got amongst the winners with the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Mumtaaz, the Irishman enjoying another successful season as is compatriot Willie Supple, last season?s champion winning the final event aboard the Dhruba Selvaratnam-prepared Fatal Sahra.
