With the owner providing five of the 12 runners, it was a difficult choice for his retained jockey, Paul Hanagan, but he made the right one and the pair led, close home, to deny stable companion Munaaser, also owned by Sheikh Hamdan.

Hanagan said: “He won the prep for this over course and distance a month ago before never really getting competitive in a 2000m Carnival handicap at Meydan.

“He took a while to get going today but I always thought we would get there in the straight to catch Munaaser.”

The Purebred Arabian equivalent, the Group 1 Emirates Championship over the same 2200m, produced an ultra game performance from Abhaar who made every yard of the running under Wayne Smith.

Trained by Eric Lemartinel and owned by Sheikh Khalifa, Abhaar was tackling by far the longest trip he has faced, but showed both stamina and great resolution to land the spoils.

Smith said: “Eric said to be positive on him and credit to the horse who has just kept finding every time I asked him.”

It was a big race double for Sheikh Khalifa and Lemartinel who had already combined with Tadhg O’Shea to land the UAE Arabian Derby with Mahbooba.

O’Shea said: “It is actually the first time I have ridden her in a race and she is a lovely, straightforward filly. She is also now a valuable broodmare prospect.”

Jockey Smith completed a double, driving the Erwan Charpy-trained Cheik Roque to land the ‘Grand Finale’, a 1600m handicap and, as the name suggested, the final Abu Dhabi meeting of the season.

Dorhess De Brugere, trained by Satish Seemar and ridden by Richard Mullen, won the opening 1400m maiden with the other two winners on the card both owned by Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda.

AF Maqayes, trained by Al Raihe and ridden by O’Shea, landed a 1400m conditions contest before Fernado Jara partnered AF Madrub to victory in a 1400m maiden for Ernst Oertel.