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First Classs wins Jewel Crown to complete
big race double in the Emirates

French-trained runner takes home Dh5million prize from
last year’s winner Lady Princess in Abu Dhabi

First Classs ridden by Ronan Thomas

WATCH THE RACE

First Classs lived up to his name on Sunday after becoming the first horse to win the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic and the Dh5million Group 1 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown for Purebred Arabians in the same year.

Trained in France by Jean de Mieulle and with Ronan Thomas in the saddle in the silks of Nayef Saad Al Kaabi, First Classs got the better of last year’s winner, Lady Princess, by a length in Abu Dhabi’s biggest meeting of the season on Sunday.

Abdallah Al Hammadi’s local bred Hameem was a further three lengths down to finish a creditable third ahead of Jean de Roualle’s multiple Group 1 winner Somoud.

Thomas settled First Classs in fourth spot in the leading group before making smooth progress entering the home turn to quicken to the front in the straight and stave off the late challenge of Lady Princess under Jim Crawley.

Photo: Nadine Frampton

“They went quite quick up front so I was happy to take my time and he was always travelling happily before picking up very well. He then galloped all the way to the line. I am very proud of him because Lady Princess is very good indeed”, Thomas said.

Paying tribute to his uncle, Alban de Mieulle – First Classs won the PA Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic at Meydan in late March, for conditioning a genuine superstar, Jean added: “It was the first time here for him, but the horse has been trained by my uncle Alban in Qatar and he is the one that has done a great job on the horse.”

de Mieulle was already thinking of First Classs’ future and said: “He will be very competitive in Europe next season, that’s for sure!”

“First Classs is getting better and better and is using his experience well. It’s like any other job, the more experience you have the better you get at it. He is such a great horse, he’s won in so many places now and I am so pleased for his connections and thankful for their support of me”.