National Day races have a lot on offer

To celebrate the 40th National Day, Jebel Ali looks sure to have plenty of surprises up their sleeve as they host a very exciting six-race card on Friday. Certainly the best meeting of the UAE season so far, there is Dh545,000 up for grabs over all the races and winning them looks very difficult! Spin Cycle goes to post in the Shadwell Conditions Stakes over 1,000m, and the Satish Seemar-trained gelding has proven form at the course having won last season's Jebel Ali Sprint under Frankie Dettori. This time Richie Mullen has come in for the ride and has opted to desert Terrific Challenge (himself a Jebel Ali Sprint winner) who competes for the same stable. Mujaazef, however, looks a formidable danger and bids to maintain his unbeaten record this season. Hailing from the all-conquering Grandstand Stable, the returning Richard Hills takes over from Tadhg O'Shea and the son of Dubawi has hit the hill running this year and arrives here in the form of his life. In the fifth race, worth Dh110,000, Swinging Sixties and Glen Nevis renew rivalry in a contest that also features the classy Blue's Ballad and former Al Maktoum Challenge winner My Indy! There has been plenty of talk among the stable staff of Great Britain about the use of muck sacks in many racing yards and while I don't mind admitting I'm a staunch traditionalist, this is a tradition I would quite happily see the end of. The National Association of Stable Staff (NASS) have started a campaign to dump the muck sack in favour of the conventional wheelbarrows which are more commonly used by grooms in the majority of yards except a few! Jumps trainer Alan King is a real supporter of giving his lads back pain as well as Sir Mark Prescott who says that many of his staff have to use muck sacks to get through the tight alleyways in his yard (that was built in 1755) because wheelbarrows won't fit through the gaps. Mr. Prescott must think he's still in the 1700s! I have carried many muck sacks in my time, like I'm sure plenty of you reading have, and when the rain, wind and snow are at their most fierce, the last thing anybody wants to do is hump a heavy load of horse manure from a wet plastic sack onto their back. Funnily enough Prescott also said there were signs around his yard warning of the dangers of lifting loads that were too heavy for his staff; does that mean if the situation arises that he'll put his cigar out and empty the muck himself...? BABY ON BOARD My belated, but sincerest, congratulations to Tommo and Indy Thompson who became the proud parents of baby Tandy three weeks ago. Tommo, a work rider for John Hyde, had a formidable career at stud in the early '90s but was retired from duties when arriving in Dubai many moons ago. However after his latest offspring, he's seemingly back on the stallion roster and clearly hasn't lost his touch!