Watson saddles a double to close the year’s racing at Meydan

Watson saw Streets of Dreams ease to victory in the Lincoln MKX Trophy before doubling up when Etijaah romped to success in the Entisar.

The last meeting of the year at Meydan featured three Listed Thoroughbred races as well as the Madjani Stakes for Purebred Arabians.

The first of the feature races, the Dubai Creek Mile was dominated from start-to-finish by Heavy Metal, who led from the front under Royston Ffrench, riding for trainer Salem bin Ghadayer and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Wild Dude came in second four and a half lengths back with Stunned in third. Watson trainee Cosmo Charlie faded to fourth after being unable to keep pace with the front-running winner.

Watson had more joy in the second of the big races on the card, The Entisar, which was won emphatically by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Etijaah.

Settled in third throughout the early stages, jockey Dane O’Neill was able to pull out and go for home turning into the straight, ultimately dominating his rivals, including Godolphin Mile and stablemate Second Summer.

Barreesh took second albeit a distance six lengths back, with fellow Watson trainees Faulkner – making his second start after a 20-month layoff – and Storm Belt finished third and fifth, respectively. Second Summer missed the break, made a mid-race move and faded in the final 400 metres.

The Garhoud Sprint Sponsored By Lincoln Navigator was then also won by O’Neill for Sheikh Hamdan, this time with the Ali Rashid Al Rayhi-trained Muarrab, a previous winner of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen, which he landed in 2016. Again the margin of victory was six lengths with Comicas in second and My Catch in third.

The meeting opened with the only Purebred Arabian race on the card, The Madjani Stakes, which was won in style by Mawahib

Run over 1900 metres, it was her third race in a row at as many racecourses as jockey Tadhg O’Shea always looked confident in midfield on the filly before making smooth progress to lead early in the straight, a position from which they would not relinquish.

The Lincoln MKC Trophy, a 1400 metre maiden, appeared to be contested at a ferocious early gallop but One Season maintained his early exertions to record a useful victory.

Ridden by Antonio Fresu for Satish Seemar, One Season came in a length clear of Hucklebuck in second and Bella Dubai in third.

The Lincoln MKX Trophy, a 2000 metre maiden, was won in decent style by Mr. Ali A. Aneizi’s Street of Dreams, who was a worthy winner under Pat Dobbs for Doug Watson. In just his fourth career start, Dobbs guided his mount to a two and three-quarter length win over Travis County in second and Capes of Eagles in third.

The Lincoln MKZ Trophy proved a fitting finale as an impressive late kick by Sea Skimmer was enough to win a close contest. A lightly raced son of super-sire Dubawi, he closed well to pip Flashy Snapper by three-quarters of a length and win his second race from four career starts

The next racing at Meydan is on Thursday 4 January, ahead of the first meeting of the 2018 Dubai World Cup Carnival a week later on Thursday 11 January.