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| Rowan Anderson |
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The fact Noble Truth is still only four years old is a scary prospect.
Having won a Group Three and two Listed races, one by close to six margins in his career to date bodes well for the gelded son of Kingman trained by Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby.
Breaking his maiden on his second start in 2021 at Newmarket he went on to win the Listed Cazoo Flying Scotsman Stakes, the Listed King Charles Stakes and the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Ascot as a 3YO.
He will now line up in the Group Two Al Fahidi Fort Stakes this Friday as part of the seven-race card at Meydan and is sure to be heavily favoured.
The race is named in honour of the oldest existing building in Dubai, the Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1787.
Appleby is no stranger to this race, having trained the winner in six of the past eight editions to hold the training record for the race that has run since 2003.
He prepared last year’s winner Naval Crown with William Buick on board, winning by a length after taking the lead in the final 400 metres. He broke the record for the race by doing the trip in a time of 1:22.
Noble Truth is one of two that Appleby is preparing this year and returns to the track after 199 days, winning his last two starts in the Group 3 and Listed Company and will be looking to make his truth known here over the 1400m.
He will enter this Group 2 contest with the highest rating (112) and with Buick returning onboard makes for an even scarier prospect.
There are however a couple who will be keen to throw down a challenge to Noble Truth in hopes of taking the spoils in the USD $180,000 feature.
Al Suhail is prepared by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin and James Doyle saddles the 6YO. A gelded son of Dubawi he has tasted victory in Group and Listed Company with a Group 2 win (2021) and a Listed race in (2020).
The most seasoned of the campaigners is Misty Grey trained by Tom Dascombe and to be ridden on this occasion by Richard Kingscote, the hoop partnering him previously on multiple occasions.
With 30 starts for his career (6-6-7) the 6YO gelded son of Dark Angel will return to the track after last racing 91 days ago at Newmarket finishing third in a Group Two. He is a mount who relishes Group and Listed company and will be ready here.
La Barossa is the runner with the least experience from the starts with eight to his career but trainer Mohammed Ibrahim will have the 5YO fresh and competitive after not racing since this race last year, where he finished 14th.
Breaking his maiden in September 2020 he went on to a Group 3 at Newmarket twenty days later winning by a length and adding a second placing in a Newmarket Group 3 to his CV seven months later.
When it comes to jockeys and success in the Al Fahidi the record is held by Kevin Shea (5) but hoops William Buick and James Doyle both have three successes to their names. Both Buick and Doyle have starts in this year’s edition with Noble Truth and Al Suhail.