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Sunday’s final meeting of the Sharjah Longines Racecourse campaign is arguably the track’s best, with the track’s most valuable race of the season, the AED250,000 HH The Ruler of Sharjah Cup, ably supported by the Sharjah Marathon and a competitive Thoroughbred handicap.

A conditions race carrying Prestige status, the 1700m HH The Ruler of Sharjah Cup has attracted a field of 15 and looks a competitive renewal of a race inaugurated in 2002.

The penultimate fixture of the Jebel Ali season and a typically competitive card, highlighted by a 1600m handicap, one which arguably would not have appeared out of place at Meydan and the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

The weights are headed Gabr, who will bid to concede weight to all his 13 rivals for Doug Watson and Shadwell. He is a course and distance winner, in November 2020, but has not won since and is seeking just a fourth career success having also won twice in Britain for Sir Michael Stoute.

Racing at Abu Dhabi on Sunday was highlighted by the 1400m Group 2 Liwa Oasis and Hameem bounced back to his best after a mostly frustrating campaign under a masterful ride from Adrie de Vries for Al Ajban Stables and Abdallah Al Hammadi.

Unbeaten during his first season, the 5yo entire started this one in similar fashion by winning the 1600m Group 3 National Day Cup, a seventh consecutive victory, all on the Abu Dhabi turf.

The biggest race of the Al Ain season, Friday’s 1600m Group 3 Al Ain Mile, proved a red letter occasion for Khalifa Al Neyadi who saddled the winner, AF Sanad, to land the spoils under Omani apprentice Saif Al Balushi, who could not utilise his weight allowance due to the status of the race, in the trainer’s own silks.

Content to dispute second place for the first part of the race, Al Balushi committed for home fully 900m out and soon had five of his six rivals beaten off with just last year’s winner, the penalised Dagui Lotois, posing a threat.

Racing returns to Abu Dhabi on Sunday for a meeting undoubtedly highlighted by the 1400m Group 2 Liwa Oasis, for which nine have been declared and most of the nonet would appear closely matched.

Three handlers are set to be doubly represented, including Ernst Oertel, so often the starting point when looking at such races. Of his pair, Tadhg O’Shea partners Rodess Du Loup for owner Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda who retains the jockey’s services.

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.

Jebel Ali staged a quality card on Sunday, seven Thoroughbred races featuring both the 1000m Listed Jebel Ali Sprint and 1950m Listed Jebel Ali Stakes.

The Jebel Ali Sprint was dominated throughout by a pair of Shadwell runners, the 2020 winner Alkaraama, who was also third in the race last year, making a bold attempt to lead all the way under Jim Crowley but passed in the final 125m by Pat Dobbs aboard Khuzaam for Doug Watson.