The Dubai Racing Carnival ignited on Friday evening as Bhupat Seemar and Tadhg O’Shea delivered a dominant performance at Meydan, claiming seven out of nine races between them. This left a clear message for the rest of the season: UAE racing’s heavyweight duo are just getting started.
Former champion trainer Seemar launched a four-win assault to draw level with defending champion Musabbeh Al Mheiri at the top of the UAE standings, each with 14 wins. This rivalry could develop into one of the most compelling title duels in recent years.
Vizhir shows Authority
While Seemar dominated the night, it was Al Mheiri who secured the evening’s most prestigious prize with a revitalized Vizhir, the winner of the G2 Madjani Stakes (Purebred Arabians) sponsored by Nakheel.
A G1 winner in Saudi Arabia and new arrival at Oasis Stables, Vizhir quickly reminded the UAE of his capabilities. Under the steady instincts of 12-time UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea, the five-year-old performed like a rejuvenated horse, showing grit to fend off Nassif by half a length in the 1900-meter contest.
O’Shea, who recognizes a serious Arabian when he sees one, was filled with excitement at the spare ride. “He went around there like a motorbike,” said O’Shea, who won the first of his 12 UAE championship titles back in 2010. “Connections were super confident. He’s a good Arabian, and you’d imagine they’ll work back from the Kahayla Classic now.”
Al Mheiri, who may have discovered his strongest Kahayla Classic contender yet, praised the newcomer, saying, “We always believed Vizhir had the engine and the heart. Once he settled in with us, he showed his class immediately. He has huge potential, and tonight was only the first step.”
With that, the Group 2 contest delivered not only a winner but a storyline. Vizhir looks firmly like a horse headed to the Kahayla Classic on Dubai World Cup night on March 28, 2026.
A seven-win takeover
If the feature went to Al Mheiri, the evening unmistakably belonged to Bhupat Seemar and Tadhg O’Shea, who together produced a devastating nine-race takeover.
The star of Seemar’s winning quartet was Drew’s Gold, who finally achieved a UAE breakthrough in the 1200-meter Dubai Islands Handicap and did it in style.
Despite a wide draw in 12, O’Shea kept the American sprinter relaxed before pressing the button two furlongs from home, and the response was explosive: a seven-length demolition, one of the most decisive Carnival wins of the season. “He impressed me tonight,” O’Shea said. “He was third to Tuz in the Al Shindagha Sprint, there was no Tuz in here. Top weight, wide draw, still put them away. Serious horse.”
Seemar’s four-timer also featured Muzaahim, Power For Power, and Zandvoort, each win adding to the growing sense that the trainer’s Zabeel Stables operation is hitting its mid-season stride.
Devon Island sparks UAE Derby chatter
Across the evening, the most intriguing Thoroughbred development came from Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby’s Devon Island, who stayed unbeaten at Meydan with a stylish victory in the 1600m Como Residences Conditions event for two-year-olds.
Big-race jockey James Doyle was at his supreme best guiding the Practical Joke colt through kickback and traffic before asserting his rivals by three and a half lengths. “He feels like a galloper,” Doyle said. “Ten furlongs shouldn’t be an issue, but he’s a big raw baby. If he grows up mentally, he could be very exciting.” UAE Derby whispers have already begun for Appleby, who last won the Classic in 2021 with Rebel’s Romance.
Doyle Completes a Meydan Double
Doyle quickly completed a double with a Native American who won the closing Palm Jumeirah Handicap, the first UAE winner for Qatar-owned Al Wathan Stables, which has a permanent base in Grandstand Stables, once the base for former three-time UAE champion handler Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
Earlier in the evening, South African handler Dylan Cunha extended Britain’s promising Carnival start when he sent out Silver Sword to land the Palm Beach Towers Handicap, his second Meydan win in as many seasons. “I wasn’t sure he’d stick his head out, but he really did,” said British jockey George Wood, who was savoring his first Meydan success.
With nine races, seven wins from Seemar and O’Shea, and a new Arabian star in Vizhir, Friday’s Dubai Racing Carnival meeting set the stage for a fierce trainers’ championship showdown.
Meydan returns next week with Festive Friday, featuring the G2 Al Maktoum Mile and G2 Al Rashidiya.
