Archivist brought the Meydan Carnival to a close on an afternoon that was brimming with storylines

The Wathnan Racing horse captured the Phi Advertising Handicap, marking a double for Tadhg O'Shea and Bhupat Seemar

The blinkers made the difference for Archivist at Meydan / DRC

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—the Dubai Racing Carnival season came to an end on Friday at Meydan, concluding with a new celebration for Wathnan Racing, whose colors were authoritatively defended by Archivist (Dubawi), winner of the Phi Advertising Handicap (1600 m, turf), the feature race of the final meeting.

Trained by Hamad Al Jehani, the 4-year-old was returning after a month's rest following his third-place finish in the Lord Glitters Handicap. Wearing blinkers for the first time and well-positioned by Pat Dobbs within striking distance of the leaders, Archivist accelerated decisively in the final straight to win by 2 1/4 lengths over Indian Springs (Too Darn Hot).

“I think the blinkers made a big difference,” explained Dobbs, who was riding him for the first time. “He didn't sweat before the race and settled into a perfect rhythm. He has a very nice turn of foot and finishes strongly.”

The meeting also featured Tadhg O'Shea, 12-time champion jockey in the Emirates, who secured a double that could clinch the trainers' championship for his boss, Bhupat Seemar. The second part of the double came with Diamond Dealer (Lord Nelson), a convincing winner of the Binghatti Handicap (1600 m, dirt). Always well-placed, the horse broke away turning for home and held off the late charge of the Brazilian Nam Phrik (Hofburg), who, ridden by Francisco Leandro for Stud Las Monjitas and trained by Julio Olascoaga and Antonio Cintra, finished 3 lengths back.

“It's his fourth victory of the season, two here and two at Jebel Ali,” O’Shea noted. “He is very versatile and has a massive pedigree, being a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day).”

The same Seemar–O’Shea duo also prevailed with Raasil in the ARN Maiden (1400 m, dirt). The son of Tonalistshowed some immaturity in the straight—“green as an apple,” said the commentator—but found room in time to achieve his first victory in his seventh start. “He’s like his jockey: a big baby,” joked O’Shea. “Once he got clear in the straight, he ran very well. I think he will reach 2000 meters without any problems.”

The successful partnership of Simon and Ed Crisford closed their great Carnival with a win by Will Scarlet (Masar) in the Autism In Racing Handicap (2410 m, turf). With Ray Dawson in the irons, the 5-year-old dominated from start to finish and won by 4 lengths over the Spanish-bred Finely Tuned (Gleneagles).

“All he does is gallop,” summarized Dawson. “When he got to the front, he felt comfortable and never stopped.”

The mare Lahfaty (Mitole) added her sixth victory by taking the Zoho Handicap (1200 m, dirt) with Silvestre de Sousa, while trainer Kareem Ramadan experienced an unforgettable moment when Blue Trail (Teofilo) gave him his first win at Meydan, a huge thrill for a conditioner who handles only 7 horses.

There was also a debut for French rider Jules Mobian, who achieved his first victory at the track with Lahresh(Iffraaj), while Charlie Bennett celebrated his first Carnival win thanks to the Arabian Turquoise (Al Mourtajez) in the second leg of the Arabian Triple Crown.

With the curtain now lowered on the Carnival, Meydan will fall silent for a few weeks. The next major chapter will be the Dubai World Cup on March 28, when the racecourse will once again become the epicenter of world horse racing.