Ray Dawson Shines At Dubai Racing Carnival, Setting Stage For World Cup

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The penultimate meeting of the five-month-long Dubai Racing Carnival delivered exactly what fans had been hoping for: thrilling flat racing, high-quality competition, and a tantalising build-up to the $30.5 million Dubai World Cup in just three weeks.

With eight races on the card, Friday's action at Meydan Racecourse was highlighted by doubles for jockeys Ray Dawson and Rich Mullen, as well as standout performances from UAE champion trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri and the Simon and Ed Crisford partnership.

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Irish rider Ray Dawson, a 32-year-old from County Kildare with over 100 UAE career wins, was the star of the evening. Known for his remarkable five-winner day at Jebel Ali Racecourse 12 months ago, Dawson once again demonstrated his mastery of the track, claiming both Group races on the card.

The feature race, the Group 3 Ras Al Khor, sponsored by Emaar, saw Dawson aboard Elnajmm, returning from an impressive Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort win in January. Positioned just behind the leaders over 1400 metres, Elnajmm made a smooth, decisive move in the straight, pulling away from Godolphin's Group 1 winner Mysterious Night to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

“He's a very nice animal,” Dawson said after securing his 33rd win of the season.“We thought he would need the run last time as he's a big, solid horse. He's improving with every run.

“The only concern was the penalty, which he didn't seem to care about, and once I got him going up the straight, he really galloped through the line very well. He's a lot more relaxed this season, and his work at home is exceptional.

“I won this race last year on Marbaan, and it's nice to pay back the favour from (Lieutenant General) Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Services), and the confidence he's had to put me on the horse.”

Prior to that, in the evening, Dawson was all focused on the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwaayah Purebred Arabian contest, where the beautiful grey Munir Du Soleil, trained by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami, came from behind to defeat stablemate AR Rawaa. It marked the nine-year-old's fourth career win and first since a spell in Qatar in 2021.

“I'm delighted for the horse, he doesn't win very often, but he always runs nice races,” Dawson said.“I wanted to be handier, but they went pretty quickly early. He had a bit of ground to make up on the stablemate, but he put his head down and really knuckled down. His work at home is unbelievable, so I'm really happy for the horse and connections.”

Ibrahim Al Hadhrami is having the season of his life and is a serious contender for the 2025-2026 UAE Trainer's title, sitting just two wins behind current leader Bhupat Seemar, who has 37 victories.

Crisfords continue their winning run

The Simon and Ed Crisford team maintained their purple patch, following a treble on Emirates Super Saturday with another emphatic win as Involvement took the Downtown Dash Handicap over 1900 metres under champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa.

“Today I had a very kind draw, so I could judge the pace and be down the back,” De Sousa said.“It picked up well from 1200 metres, and they started to stretch out, which is beneficial to a horse coming from the back. Everything went smoothly.”

Doubles for Mullen and Al Mheiri

On the dirt, jockey Rich Mullen and trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri combined for two highlights. Sirocco Winds, on only his third career start, reversed form with Nyaar in the Emaar Surge Handicap, winning by three and a quarter lengths. Mullen described him as“mentally backward but physically very lightly framed... he'll be even better next year onwards.”

Mullen and Al Mheiri completed their evening with Elyabri taking the Emaar Champions Stakes over 2200 metres in a thrilling rail battle, securing victory in the final strides.

Racing Carnival finale awaits

Friday's meeting was a perfect prelude to the final Carnival fixture next Friday, 13 March, before the world turns its eyes to the 30th Dubai World Cup on 28 March. With top-class jockeys, trainers, and horses delivering their best, the Carnival has once again proven that Dubai racing is flat racing entertainment at its very finest.

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