By Duane Fonseca
Despite exploding on the Meydan scene with a stunning hat-trick that helped Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's bright yellow silks dominate among the swatches Friday evening, that first success remained elusive for trainer Michael Costa. Metaphorically, of course! Elusive only because Costa was forced to watch it from the confines of his home in the stunning acreage of Jebel Ali Racecourse where he has taken up residence as Sheikh Ahmed’s resident trainer.
Costa was unable to catch the action first hand, something he would have absolutely loved, due to a bout of pneumonia that rendered him unable to attend the meeting and instead seek rehabilitation indoors. But he made headlines nevertheless, even as his boss enjoyed a fantastic four that became possible due to the treble achieved by runners that are starting to show their true colours under Costa.
The Australian was appointed to school the population at the Jebel Ali patron's base and took over from Nicholas Bachalard in the off season. Costa had for some time now revealed a strong desire to end his Meydan hoodoo and how he would get the monkey off his back. He might not have envisioned he would cash in the way he did.
But if at all he did take the liberty to let fantasy override rationale, it would be criminal not to give him more opportunities to do the same in the future. Was he left pinching himself? It didn’t seem like it as he told Adiyat Racing Plus later: “We have been knocking on the door with many seconds and just needed to stay focused and keep looking for the 1% improvements.
“The first season we always needed to learn about how our horses responded to each of the tracks and we will continue to look for the improvements moving forward.” Sheikh Ahmed's runners ran through the middle section of the card and Costa's first Meydan winner coincided with Sheikh Ahmed's first of the night, Tahdeed landing the Mina Hamriya 1600m handicap under Dane O'Neill, one of four jockeys to gain from spare rides as a result of Costa’s first choice rider Jean van Overmeire’s suspension.
Salem bin Ghadayer brought Sheikh Ahmed a second when Seyaasi ran home triumphant in the Mina Rashid under Xavier Ziani, winning the 1900m maiden by two and three- quarters of a length from Mawtini who was second for trainer Marwan Al Baidhaei and jockey Adrie de Vries.
Costa then struck back to back with Mouheeb scoring the biggest win of the card when landing the feature, the Al Garhoud Sprint, a Listed 1200m affair, with a sharp dash under Ray Dawson, the trainer’s third of the night arriving in the penultimate Mirdif Stakes that was won by Seyouff, who showed good late acceleration under Antonio Fresu to win the 1400m conditions race by a length and a quarter from Sharp Army.
PEAKING IN TIME
With his horses peaking at the right moment with the Dubai World Cup Carnival less than a month away, Costa is excited, although he admits he is still learning more and continually looking for improvement in all quarters of the operation. “We’ve found improvement by the horses doing just so well at Jebel Ali,” he said. “Whilst it is not only a paradise for me to train in, it is also paradise for the horses and it took me a bit of time to screw some down to peak fitness.
“I am extremely grateful for this wonderful opportunity and for not only the faith of Sheikh Ahmed but his belief to empower me to make the best decisions for the stable.” His latest performance shows Costa seems to have gained a better understanding of the two main venues for Thoroughbred racing in the country.
Asked if he felt Mouheeb could develop into a genuine sprint contender moving forward, he added: “Mouheeb’s work leading into this race had shown great improvement from his first-up run. “My trackwork rider Hector and I could not believe how much he had come on. I believe he will continue to improve again and I am excited to see him roll out in the carnival.
“I also have to say a big thank you to Jean. He and the other work riders have really put in the work on all the horses and it was a shame for him to miss the winners on the night, but I believe he will more than make up for it in the months to come.”
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