Tadhg O'Shea heading for Switzerland after sweet victory on Dubai World Cup night

A Swiss holiday is the prize for jockey Tadhg O’Shea and his family after Switzerland gave the Irishman his first Group 1 winner in the UAE.

The Bhupat Seemar-trained gelding landed the $2 million Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, becoming the only locally-trained runner to win across the nine-race card at the 26th edition of the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Racecourse.

“I jokingly said to my two kids if Switzerland wins, that’s where we go for our next holiday,” O’Shea told The National.

“The holiday now done, we don’t have to look for any more destinations. That’s where we go.”

O’Shea, 39, has been riding in the Emirates for more than two decades and remains on course for an unprecedented 10th jockeys' championship and is the all-time leading rider with 667 winners.

This season, he’s on 65 winners, eight more than his closest challenger Antonio Fresu with two meetings left in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on Thursday and Friday.

“It was a brilliant night,” O’Shea said. “It actually didn’t start off in a good way. I had a very good horse [Al Nefud] in the Godolphin Mile but unfortunately I had to pull him up as I felt he was a long way behind.

“He turned out very lame. Hopefully he will be back next season to show what he can do. Then obviously the night went on when Bendoog ran well to finish fourth in the UAE Derby and then the win on Switzerland.

“It was an amazing win for me as it was my first thoroughbred Group 1 winner in the UAE after more than 20 years of riding here. And obviously being on a Dubai World Cup night was a great, great for the entire team.”

Switzerland was the only locally-trained horse, in the silks of the UAE Football Association President Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuami’s RRR Racing, to win a prize.