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Ascot, England: UAE apprentice jockey Ahmad Ajtebi added his name to the Royal Ascot roll of honour when riding Regal Parade to a shock victory in the Buckingham Palace Handicap late on Friday evening.
It was the 26-year-old Dubai-born jockey's first ever ride at the Royal meeting.
Sent off a long odds of 25/1 Regal Parade dug deep for the hard-riding Ajtebi to win by a length from Jim Goldie's Dhaular Dhar.
Ajtebi, who was delighted to become the first UAE-born jockey to partner a winner at the meeting, gushed: "It's my first ride here at Royal Ascot and to win it is simply unbelievable.
"Even if I didn't win at Ascot it is a privilege to ride here against the top jockeys from France, Ireland and England."
Apprentice
"Royal Ascot is so special, it's totally different to any other race meeting. There is such a great atmosphere here and the quality of races is fantastic. It's not easy to pick up a ride here so I'm really fortunate to have been given the opportunity to ride here," he told Gulf News.
The Royal victory took Ajtebi past the 50 winner mark and dropped his allowance to 1.5kg
He now requires 19 winners to shake off his apprentice tag. "Obviously my next goal is to become a full jockey," he said.
"But I'm still enjoying my apprenticeship. "I hope to gain as much experience as I can and ride as many winners as possible. Winning at Royal Ascot is a big confidence booster, because you are up against some of the top jockeys and it's a big test of ones ability. "It's not just about winning, it's about how you win. The tactics, the style, everything. I think I'm learning something new with every success and hopefully it will help me become a better jockey."
Factfile:
Name: Ahmad Mohammad Sultan Ajtebi
Born: Dubai 29 Dec 1981
Nationality: UAE
Height: 163cm
Starting out: Apprentice to John Sadler in 2002
Career wins: 51
First winner: Al Tharb (John Sadler) in Geelong, Australia 2004
First winner in UAE: Badawi (Bakhit Al Ketbi ) in Abu Dhabi April 2005
Best wins: Regal Parade (Royal Asco), Mayaleen (Dubai Intl Racing Carnival)
Royal Ascot: Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap) 7f)
1. Regal Parade (Ahmad Ajtebi) 25-1
2. Dhaular Dhar (D Tudhope) 25-1
3. Jedburgh (J Quinn) 16-1
28 ran.
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