Chosen Mark and Antonio Fresu scoop top handicap at Jebel Ali

Chosen Mark under Antonio Fresu made a perfect start for his new owner Ali Haddad, winning the most valuable handicap prize in the seven-race card at Jebel Ali on Saturday.

Trained by Ahmed Al Shemaili, the five-year-old won for the second successive time over the track and trip.

Fresu had him in the middle of the field before sending him to the front on the uphill finish of the track to pull clear of Mayaadeen by a length and three quarters over the 1,400-metre trip.

“He is in top form and a more confident horse after he won here on his last visit,” Fresu said.

“I held him until the final furlong and when I let him go, he just took off up the hill and won well. He seems to love this track and trip, and that’s his third win at Jebel Ali.”

The remaining six prizes, including one for the Purebred Arabians, was shared by six different riders, trainers and owners.

Bernardo Pinheiro and Basem Al Wathba, in the silks of Sheikh Mansour’s Al Wathba Racing, were impressive winners by more than seven lengths of the opening prize for Arabians for trainer Majed Al Jahouri.

Tadhg O’Shea and Bhupat Seemar followed up Friday’s Dubai World Cup Carnival double at Meydan by taking the next with Talentum, proving third time lucky when winning by a short head over Kal Barg and Jean van Overmeire.

“He’s from a good owner we have, Mr Walter Moraes. We bought him really on a budget, and when the budget comes out and wins races, you look like a genius,” Seemar said of the Accelerate colt.

“We may try him at Meydan now. He’s improved with every run. Now there are some nice races for the three year olds. He came from the back of the field and up the hill over the six furlong trip, so he can step up in distance from seven furlongs to a mile.”

That win took O’Shea’s tally to 40 for the season, 11 more than his closest challenger Fresu.

Results

2.15pm: Al Sahel Contracting – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner: Basem Al Wathba, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)

2.45pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner: Talentum, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar

3.15pm: Ascana – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner: Al Khaldie, Oscar Chavez, Rashed Bouresly

3.45pm: Shadwell – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner: Razeen Dubai, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

4.15pm: Emirates Airline – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: Chosen Mark, Antonio Fresu, Ahmed Al Shemaili

4.45pm: Al Huzaifa Furniture – Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Coast Sky, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

5.15pm: Newbury Racecourse UK – Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,950m

Winner: Waathig, Jean van Overmeire, Michael Costa

What it means to be a conservationist

Who is Enric Sala?

Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.

What is biodiversity?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.