MEETING number four of the 2019 Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan on Thursday lived up to its billing, featuring the seven-furlong Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort and the nine-furlong Group 2 Al Rashidiya, both turf races worth $250,000. Three-year-olds hoping to earn their place in the UAE Derby took their chance in the newly established $100,000 Al Bastakiya Trial.
D’Bai ran out an emphatic winner of the Al Fahidi Fort, the previous Group 3 winner accounting for a number of horses with better credentials and records. Confidently ridden by James Doyle for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, the son of Dubawi led home a 1-2-3 finish for the owner and trainer, with Mythical Magic finishing second under Colm O’Donoghue and Bravo Zolo in a dead-heat for third under Brett Doyle. Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ Sandeep Jadhav-trained Lansky, with Mickael Barzalona aboard, also dead-heated for third. Last year the race was won by the same connections with Jungle Cat, who subsequently went on to land the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint.
Appleby commented: “This was (D’Bai’s) first run and I was pleased with his preparation. Seven furlongs is probably his ultimate trip. We were confident coming in that he was fit and ready and this was a good trip to get him started. We could drop him back six furlongs, but he’s probably a horse who will wind up going internationally again. He could just do one Dubai run and then look toward Europe and Australia.”
Godolphin was responsible for six of the nine runners in the Al Rashidiya and supplied the first four home with the Saeed bin Suroor trio Dream Castle (Frankel), Leshlaa and Racing History chased home by Charlie Appleby’s Group 1 winner Blair Castle.
Victorious three weeks ago in the Group 3 Singspiel Stakes over the same course and distance, Dream Castle has now won both his starts since being gelded. Ridden with supreme confidence by Christophe Soumillon, he quickened impressively to lead two furlongs out and put the race to bed in a few strides. In doing so, he emulated stable companion Benbatl who won the Singspiel and this race last year, later capturing the Group 1 Dubai Turf.
Bin Suroor said about the winner: “It was good for him today to run well again. He ran very well last time. The horse is doing very well and I like the way he finished his race. He was more relaxed today and showed a good turn of foot. He’s a good horse for the future.”
The inaugural Al Bastakiya Trial over the same nine and a half furlong dirt course and distance as the UAE Derby went to Manguzi (Planteur) under Fernando Jara for trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi and owner Ahmad Al Shaikh. The three-year-old colt arrived in the UAE as a maiden after three outings for George Scott before making his local debut a winning one in a maiden in December, defeating older horses. He was runner-up to the exciting Walking Thunder in the UAE Guineas 2000 Trial two weeks ago.
Jara, having his first Carnival win of 2019, was pleased: “I think he is a nice horse and he has been doing really good at home. His last race was a good race, but I thought this was even better for him. He is still young, so hopefully he’ll keep improving.”
UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea opened his 2019 Carnival account when he was never headed aboard Mazzini (Exceed And Excel) on his local debut in the five-furlong turf handicap, denying the Darren Bunyan-trained Hit The Bid by a neck. A 90,000gns purchase at Tattersalls last autumn, the six-year-old gelding was having his first start for Fawzi Nass who owns him with Ahmed Al Qattan.
O’Shea said: “It was a nice spare ride for me and, luckily, I could do the light weight which stable jockey Adrie de Vries cannot. We flew out of the gates, so with so little weight and on a horse we know stays further, I was happy to be positive.”
Well away under Richard Mullen, Saltarin Dubai (E Dubai) made every post a winning one with a smooth success in the 10-furlong dirt handicap, the EGA Jebel Ali Trophy. Trained by Satish Seemar for Sheikh Mohd bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, the six-year-old gelding stayed on strongly to register a second course and distance win following last year’s Listed Curlin Handicap. A Group 1 winner in his native Argentina, he was trained by Mike de Kock before joining Seemar.
The concluding mile and a half turf handicap was won by James Doyle on Godolphin’s Spotify (Redoute’s Choice). Charlie Appleby trains the winner who was bought at Arqana last October for €250,000.
REST OF uae REPORTS
ABU DHABI January 20th
The sole thoroughbred race on the card was the concluding seven-furlong 1400m handicap and it provided the easiest winner of the evening.
Adrie de Vries sat motionless throughout on Legendary Lunch (Dragon Pulse) before leaving his 13 rivals toiling to win impressively. The five-year-old entire is now in the care of Fawzi Nass, but won the Listed Woodcote Stakes and ran a close second in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes for Richard Hannon.
De Vries said: “He ran well on dirt last time but I said to Fawzi he is really a turf horse, so this looked a good spot for him and I was never worried.”
MEYDAN January 19th
THIS meeting at Meydan was a non-Carnival fixture, highlighted by a night of thrilling finishes. These included the evening’s two turf races, one over seven furlongs and the other over a mile and a half.
In the sprint handicap Rocket Power (Kyllachy) recorded a fourth consecutive victory this season, his previous three coming at Jebel Ali. Owned by Mohd Khalifa Al Basti, he was ridden by Connor Beasley for trainer Ahmad bin Harmash. Trainer and jockey completed a double in the second and only other turf race when Mansoor Al Mansoori’s Muqaatil (Lonhro) won by the narrowest margin.
Bin Harmash said: “We decided to come here over seven furlongs on the turf because (Rocket Power) was not rated highly enough for the Jebel Ali Mile, so we now know he is as good on the Meydan grass.” The gelding contested yesterday’s Jebel Ali Mile.
Al Basti was completing a double with Rocket Power after Tadhg O’Shea and the Argentine-bred J B Space (J Be K) dominated the opening nine and a half furlong dirt maiden, winning by 10 lengths. Saddled by Satish Seemar, the four-year-old gelding was running over a trip further than seven furlongs for the first time.
The better of two mile dirt handicaps was won by Moqarrar (Exchange Rate), a first Meydan winner of the campaign for Erwan Charpy. Ridden by Dane O’Neill for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the four-year-old took the lead early and won well. He won for Sir Michael Stoute in England.
A six-furlong dirt handicap provided the perfect opportunity for Nine Below Zero (Showcasing) to make a winning dirt and local debut for trainer Fawzi Nass and owners Al-Afoo Racing Stable. The three-time winner for Ralph Beckett was bought for 49,000gns and he was ridden by Adrie de Vrie. Nass said: “That now means we should be able to run him in the Dubai World Cup Carnival next time, which is great for everyone concerned with the horse.”
The 11-furlong dirt handicap was a thriller with two runners locked together throughout the final furlong and a half, finishing 16 and a half lengths clear of the third. Big Brown Bear (Tiznow) won in the colours of Frankie O’Connor’s Kildare Stud, while Pat Dobbs was in the saddle for Doug Watson, providing the team with the first of two wins on the night.
Team Watson-Dobbs’ other victory came in a mile dirt handicap where Dale Brennan’s Illusional (Bernardini) won by a half-length. The full-brother to UAE 1000 Guineas winner Gamilati provided his owner with his first winner in the UAE. Brennan said: “We have three in training at the moment and my other horse to have run, Pouvoir Magique, was a good fourth on his only start for us so far.”
AL AIN January 18th
THE only thoroughbred contest on the card, a 10-furlong handicap, was hugely competitive, with the lead changing hands at least five times in the straight. The winner Secret Trade, a Darley Irish-bred son of Teofilo, made relentless progress under Antonio Fresu, the pair hitting the front half a furlong out and running powerfully to the line to register a third career success. Ali Rashid Al Rayhi was the winning trainer.