Jebel Ali Racecourse prepares to host its penultimate meeting of the 2025 season this Saturday, presenting a compelling seven-race card that underscores the venue’s significance within global horse racing. The event features two premium handicaps valued at AED 120,000 each—the Glorious Saturday Stakes and New Year Fest Stakes—offering both competitive racing and late-season narrative development.
The Glorious Saturday Stakes (Race 3) emerges as a particularly open contest, featuring twelve contenders racing seven furlongs on Jebel Ali’s distinctive dirt surface. This track maintains traditional characteristics through its unique composition of local desert sand blended with recycled engine oil from regional shipyards, creating racing conditions unlike any other international venue.
Attention centers on Telemark, a Night Of Thunder progeny making his second UAE appearance after a impressive debut victory at Meydan three weeks prior. Owned by Rabbah Bloodstock and trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, the four-year-old faces formidable opposition including Doug Watson’s entries Cats By Five and Nyaar, alongside The Ice Phoenix from reigning champion trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri’s stable.
Al Mheiri noted regarding his contender: ‘The horse has demonstrated remarkable adaptation to our training methods and shows progressive improvement with each outing.’ International betting markets reflect the competition’s intensity, installing Telemark as 6/5 favorite ahead of Cats By Five (4/1), The Ice Phoenix (9/2), and Nyaar (11/2).
The subsequent New Year Fest Stakes (Race 5) presents a contrasting six-runner field over 1800 meters. Ocean Viking commands attention as he makes his UAE debut for the Crisford team following transfer from legendary French trainer André Fabre’s stable. The Farhh descendant, another Rabbah Bloodstock investment, will be ridden by Brazilian jockey Silvestre de Sousa.
Opposition includes Doug Watson’s Truth Explained (current market favorite), alongside Mashkoor and Aablan from Marwan Al Baidhaei’s stable—all proven performers at the distance whose tactical approaches may determine outcomes.
The meeting opens with traditional Purebred Arabian racing, honoring the venue’s cultural heritage within the modern racing landscape. As the season approaches its conclusion, Saturday’s events offer critical opportunities for establishing late momentum and securing prestigious victories before year’s end.