Two cracking conditions races highlight Jebel Ali’s final meeting of the year on Friday, with eight declared for the official feature over 1800m.

– #360Awards: VOTE for your star sportsmen, sportswomen and teams
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Media Rotana

It is the prep race for the Listed Jebel Ali Stakes a fortnight later and last year’s winner of that big race, Interpret, is in action here with Silvestre De Sousa in the saddle for Musabah Al Muhairi. However, he was well beaten on his reappearance at Mey­dan last week when looking very reluctant to race, as he did in his final two starts last season. He is penalised for last season’s Listed win.

Also carrying a penalty is Dor­mello, trained on the track by Dhru­ba Selvaratnam and the mount of Oisin Murphy. He too failed to fire on his return but is sure to have improved for that outing four weeks ago. Haatheq, winner of the race in both 2010 and 2012 for Ali Rashid Al Raihe, is seeking a third success in the contest but has been deserted by owner Sheikh Hamdan’s retained jockey, Dane O’Neill. He rides the Doug Watson-trained Jalaa with Al Raihe’s stable jockey, Royston Ffrench, aboard Haatheq.

As good a race as that is, the penultimate event, over 1200m, promises to be a real Christmas cracker. Only seven may have been declared but a strong case can be made for each and everyone of them. The season’s leading jockey to date, Richard Mullen, speaking at the track yesterday lunchtime may not have a mount in the race but said: “It is the only race I am not involved in and what a race it looks. If I could pick one it would be United Color who ran well at Meydan in Group One company last year. He will probably improve for this outing.”

Murphy rides United Color for Selvaratnam with Silvestre De Sousa taking the mount on Muar­raab, trained for Sheikh Hamdan by Musabah Al Muhairi. The owner’s jockey, O’Neill, has chosen to part­ner stable companion Fityaan, a 1000m course winner at the first meeting of the season.

He was a place behind Kilt Rock when the pair were second and third respectively behind the Sel­varatnam-trained Sholaan over 1000m last time. There should be little between the pair again and part-owner Justin Byrne said: “We could have run him at Meydan last week but elected to wait for this.”