An Abu Dhabi Derby day double… delightful!

Abu Dhabi served up a National Day meeting of substance on Saturday evening: horses asked proper questions, and horses giving proper answers.

In the Abu Dhabi Arabian Derby, Haseef – a grey colt of tidy balance and growing assurance – took control of the race in a manner that suggests he is truly beginning to understand his job. Under a purposeful, confident James Doyle ride, Haseef travelled strongly, settled cleanly… and when asked, he found. The hallmark of a horse on the way up rather than one merely passing through. Kardoom and Ghazy chased without troubling him, beaten by a rival who simply showed both more pace and more purpose. Haseef was much the best, just as he had been in his previous victory in Poland.

The feature event, His Highness The President Cup, carried its usual ceremonial weight, but the racing itself did not bend to decorum. Held up early, at the rear of an especially deep and accomplished field, Dark Trooper – ridden by Christophe Soumillon in the gold-capped second colours – moved into contention with a bold move up the rail, as the front-runners (including Wathnan first string and defending champion, Make Me King) started to falter. His finish was decisive, running much the fastest final 300m. Marbaan narrowly got the better of Make Me King for second, both outgunned as the race sharpened.

An assured Wathnan double: French-trained Haseef’s step forward looked thoroughly legitimate, while Dark Trooper’s superiority in this class of race has long been expected – this is a horse who has threatened a big-race triumph, while never quite getting the rub of the green. Today, he made his own luck for a creeper-high performance.