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Sunday’s first race meeting of 2019 at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club was highlighted by the only Thoroughbred contest on the card, the last of six races and a 2200m handicap won fairly easily by Skygazer.

A 7-year-old gelded son of Echo of Light, Skygazer was originally only the second reserve, but took full advantage of the late opportunity presented for trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi and jockey Ronan Whelan. Once heading early leader Town’s History on the home turn, he was never going to be denied a third victory of the season, a seventh career success and second on turf, having also won over 2200m at Jinma Lake in China during April 2017.

Whelan said: “He has really enjoyed the return to turf and that strong gallop they went this evening has really suited him. He is just an honest horse who tries his best and we were lucky to get in the race as second reserve. Obviously I missed a lot of the early part of the season, but am back now and hoping for a good second half of the campaign.”

The opening 1400m maiden attracted the maximum allowed field of 14, but only two horses ever realistically threatened to land the spoils with jockey Tadhg O’Shea sending AF Rawiah straight to the front and leading throughout. Having just her second career start, the winner had been well beaten on her 1200m debut and sole previous racecourse appearance, on the dirt at Sharjah, but had been given a nice break since that effort in the middle of November.

O’Shea was riding for his main employer, Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, whose principal trainer Ernst Oertel said: “We had a wide draw, so I had to take my time cutting across but Richard Mullen rode her the first time at Sharjah and said she was a nice filly. She learned a lot that day under his guidance. We gave her plenty of time after that first run and she has definitely shown the benefit of that this evening. You would like to think she can build on this.”

Connections wasted no time completing a course and distance double, combining 30 minutes later to land a 1400m handicap with AF Motaghatres, patiently ridden by O’Shea before grabbing the initiative early in the straight after which they never looked likely to be caught. A 1600m Abu Dhabi handicap winner three weeks ago, the winner has now won three times in 11 starts and is progressing with racing.

“We have so many nice horses and I am just very lucky and grateful to be riding them for Mr. Al Nabooda and Ernst Oertel,” O’Shea said. “I actually chose not to ride this fellow last time when he won and I was third, but was not making that mistake again.”

A rapid treble appeared likely with O’Shea and AF Asheham leading throughout the majority of the following 1600m handicap, only to be denied late on by Duc De Faust, ridden by Szczepan Mazur for the Omani Royal Cavalry and trainer Younis Al Kalbani by a neck.

Fresh from the biggest win of his career, aboard Wadeeaa in the Purebred Arabian Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 at Meydan on Thursday, Mazur is clearly enjoying life and said: “He has been running well and deserved another win. I won on him over this course and distance in November and was then, on the dirt in Muscat, third on him in a good 1600m conditions race. It has been a very exciting few days and these are the reasons we are jockeys; to ride these good winners.”

It was then a similar story in the following 1600m maiden in which O’Shea and Raniah looked to have the race won for Al Nabooda and Oertel, only to be collared close to home by Ben Curtis and Nathan Du Loop. Having his fourth career start, the 4-year-old had two fruitless outings in France before making an unspectacular UAE debut, when well beaten in a 1400m maiden on the dirt at Al Ain just nine days ago. Trained by Al Kalbani for Ben Shahwan Arabian Horse Stables, he was ridden by Ben Curtis.

“He has travelled really well into the race and when I asked him, he quickened nicely,” Curtis said. “It was a lucky spare ride for me and when they win like that, it is even better.”

The trainer then made it three consecutive winners on a memorable evening, saddling Syed to land the 2200m handicap with Mazur in the saddle, again, for the Omani Royal Cavalry. Settled in midfield among the 12 runners, Mazur encouraged his mount to close on the home turn and they swept to the front inside the final 100m to win comfortably and shed his maiden tag on a fourth attempt.

Mazur said: “That was probably quite a smart performance in what looked a good race. He has had very little racing and is still learning and a big baby who is only going to improve.”