It is the biggest race of the Al Ain season on Friday with eight declared for the 1600m Group 3 Al Ain Mile, the weights headed by last year’s winner Dagui Lotois.
Seeking to become the first dual winner of a race first contested in 2014, the 6yo entire will need to concede weight to his seven rivals if to achieve that distinction.
Antonio Fresu, as he was 12 months ago, is again in the saddle for Al Rahmani Racing and trainer Ahmed Al Mehairbi, the trainer actually seeking to win the prize for the fourth time in five years.
He has not won since landing this prize last year but did follow up that effort with an excellent second, over 2200m on the Abu Dhabi turf, behind Somoud in the Group 1 Emirates Championship. (Saddled then by Jean de Roualle, Somoud actually won this Al Ain race for Al Mehairbi in 2020 before also taking that year's Emirates Championship before switching yards.)
He has not really fired in four outings, albeit it in good company, this season but should find this an easier task dropping back into Group Three company, despite the penalty.
Trainer Mohamed Daggash saddles two with Pat Dobbs, aboard Shabih Alreeh in the colours of Khalid Al Khalifa Al Nabooda, perhaps holding stronger claims than Athbah Racing's Thayer Athbah, the mount of Fernando Jara.
That said, Jara was in the saddle the last time both Daggash contenders ran, finishing runner-up on each in races at Meydan and he did win a 1600m maiden, also on the dirt at Meydan, on Thayer Athbah. Shabih Alreeh has yet to win locally, after just three starts for Daggash, but did win twice in Doha, on turf, back in late 2018.
UAE Champion Jockey Tadhg O'Shea won the inaugural Al Ain Mile in 2014 but has not repeated that success in the contest since.
He will be hoping to rectify that aboard Asif, the pair having won a handicap over this 1600m track and trip a fortnight ago, the horse's fourth Al Ain victory, for Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
He was chased home a fortnight ago by Oxford, one of two in this year's contest to be saddled by Abdallah Al Hamamdi for Al Ajban Stables. The mount of Richard Mullen, he is joined in the field by stable companion Winked who will be partnered by Sam Hitchcott.
Owned and trained by Khalifa Al Neyadi, 9yo gelding AF Sanad is seeking a seventh career success and third on dirt. Twice an Al Ain winner, he lost his maiden tag over this 1600m when taking a handicap, on just his third career start, in February 2017.
The only Thoroughbred contest is the 1000m handicap which kicks off proceedings and appears wide open with 11 runners set to face the starter.
From three Shadwell runners, retained jockey Dane O'Neill opts to ride Edaraat for Musabbeh Al Mheiri, while Pat Dobbs is aboard Cosmo Kramer, one of two set to be saddled by Doug Watson.
O'Shea partners RRR Racing's Rayig for Bhupat Seemar whose team have been in great form so definitely merits respect, the pair arriving on the back of a 1200m handicap success on his latest start three weeks ago.
