Jebel Hatta (Group 1)

MEASURED Time capped a fine evening for Charlie Appleby and owners Godolphin last Friday when winning the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in great style.

The 6/5 favourite was the pick of three runners for the handler in the nine-furlong Group 1 and was never far away, tracking the pace set by the stablemate Highland Avenue, and close to Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj.

The son of Frankel proved to be in the ideal spot to strike rounding the turn for home and stormed clear when pilot William Buick pressed the button, surging to a one and three-quarter-length success from Appleby’s Ottoman Fleet, who stayed on to provide the trainer with a one-two in the Friday feature. Mawj was beaten when she ran out of room close home.

The Dubai Turf on Dubai World Cup night is next on the agenda.

“That was our pencilled plan coming into this evening,” said Appleby.

“Master Of The Seas was due to go to America for the Pegasus and with this horse coming through the grades, we weren’t 100% sure he would book his ticket, so we didn’t send Master Of The Seas thinking he could definitely be a runner on World Cup night in the Dubai Turf as well.

“This horse has gone and won his invitation into it and now has a great chance of a bonus. He’s a half-brother to Rebel’s Romance and we know what that horse has done over a mile and a half and that’s why we started going that route. When he ran with a hood at Kempton, Will felt he just felt numb and having removed the hood since then, it’s been the changing of him.”

Up and running

Recent carnival winner Mysterious Night (11/10 favourite) got the evening up and running for Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation when Buick weaved his way to the front aboard Appleby’s four-year-old in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort.

Buick said: “It is a great training performance by Charlie and the team at home to bring him back just seven days after his win last week, and he’s a horse we held in high-regard as a two-year-old. He’s a horse who is still on the up.”

There was further success for the Moulton Paddocks handler when Star Of Mystery (7/4 favourite) flew home in the hands of Mickael Barzalona to pip Czech speedster Ponntos in the shadow of the post in the five furlong Group 2 Blue Point Sprint Presented by Longines.

Appleby said: “We’ll probably come back here on Super Saturday first and then look at what happens World Cup night.

“Over six she just travels a little bit too generous, whereas over five they just put her on her head a little bit early doors and it just allows her to run the race the right way round.”

Appleby made it four on the night and Buick three as Siskany grabbed victory in a photo-finish to the Al Khail Trophy.

The main action on the dirt saw Doug Watson land his first Group 1 winner with the Pat Dobbs-ridden Kazakhstan raced horse, Kabirkhan, claiming the Al Maktoum Challenge in the manner of a horse well worth his place in the Dubai World Cup line-up.

“I’m excited and it’s our first Group 1 winner, it really means a lot,” said Watson.

“There’s not many of them for a stable like ours to run in, so it is really nice and I’m delighted for the owners – Pat gave him a great ride. It’s just really nice to have such a nice horse. We will see what they (owner Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev) want to do but if they want to go straight to the World Cup, I would be very happy with that.”

“I was so excited and raised the Kazakh flag along with my friends. It can be said that the whole of Kazakhstan congratulated, they [ breeders] all called from far and wide to congratulate,” Mukanbetkaliyev said on his YouTube interview with the Kazakhstan’s Association of National Sports.

Pat Cosgrave won the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas Presented by Longines on outsider Mendelssohn Bay for trainer Bhupat Seemar.