Bernardo Pinheiro celebrates Abu Dhabi hat-trick

Bernardo Pinheiro and Tadhg O’Shea began the first of four race meetings of the weekend by taking home five of the six prizes that were on offer at Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

The Brazilian reeled off a treble while O’Shea followed up his record five-timer on the capital’s track with a fine double, including the solitary race for thoroughbreds.

5pm: Al Bateen – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m Winner: Ma’Aly Al Shahania, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer) 5.30pm: Al Khaleej – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m Winner: AF Rami, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel 6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m Winner: Bant Al Emarat, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud 6.30pm: Al Nahyan – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m Winner: AF Rasam, Marcelino Rodrigues, Ernst Oertel 7pm: Al Karamah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m Winner: Zafaranah, Bernardo Pinheiro, Musabah Al Muhairi 7.30pm: Al Salam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m Winner: Nibras Passion, Tadhg O’Shea, Ismail Mohammed

Pinheiro rode the winners for three different trainers. He took the opener on the Mohamed Daggash-trained Ma’Aly Al Shahania and completed the three-timer with victories on Qaiss Aboud’s Bant Al Emarat and Musabah Al Muhairi’s Zafaranah.

The three winners took Pinheiro’s tally to 23 for the season and up to fifth in the UAE jockey’s championship table.

Ma’Aly Al Shahania was an impressive winner of the 2,200-metre maiden for the Purebred Arabians on her UAE debut. It was only her second career start after a run in her native France.

O’Shea put more daylight between him and Antonio Fresu, his closest challenger for the jockey’s title. The double took his tally to 55, and 13 clear of the Italian.

He took the second race on Ernst