Exciting three-year-old Golden Jaguar is set for his return to the track at Jebel Ali on Friday as connections eye some big race targets at the Dubai Carnival.
Phoenix Ladies’ colt won his debut at Jebel Ali before going on to take victory at Meydan on the turf and finish second in the Classic Trial. His season ended with a run in the UAE Derby and trainer Ahmed bin Harmash hopes to use his first run of the season as a springboard towards some black-type honours.
“His main aims will be on the grass this season, but this race looks a good starting point for him and he did win here last season,” explained Harmash. “It’s going to tougher for him this time around having to take on older horses, but he is very talented. Hopefully, he can prove to be up to the challenge.”
Golden Jaguar’s performances last campaign won him plenty of admirers, who are keen to see how the son of Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom has developed during the offseason.
“He’s certainly filled out his frame a little,” added Harmash. “It’s hard to tell how much he’s improved as he has never really shown us his true potential in the mornings. Everything has gone smoothly and he’s ready to start his season.”
The race on Friday could prove a good test for the returning colt with plenty of talented opposition lining up against him. The former Irish trained Inverleigh is potentially a smart recruit for Salem bin Ghadayer while Satish Seemar has a very strong hand.
“For his first run back it’s not essential he wins,” said Harmash. “We hope he finishes in the top three. After this, we are looking at a Listed race at Abu Dhabi and all things being well we’ll look at the turf mile races at the Carnival.”
Ridden by Connor Beasley, Golden Jaguar will break from stall five of ten in the Shadwell Farm conditions race over 7f. The scheduled off time is 3.15pm local.