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| Rowan Anderson |
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The sport of kings brings the greatest equine talent together and will do so again this Friday night.
The Dubai World Cup Carnival will open for the season with the spotlight on the first meeting at Meydan racecourse.
A seven-race card will bring together Group One winners and will pit seven nations against each other throughout a meeting highlighted by five Stakes races.
The USD $250,000 Group 2 Maktoum Challenge for Thoroughbreds has a field of 16 declared in what will be a tough and competitive contest.
Run over 1600 metres on the dirt, last year’s winner, Golden Goal will attempt to become just the second horse to win it twice, after Le Bernardin in 2016 and 2017. He is one of five for trainer Doug Watson, who has won the race three times.
Prince Eiji, the pick of number two stable jockey Sam Hitchcott with number one rider Pat Dobbs suspended, looks to share favouritism following his win in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile last month.
“What we liked about it most was that he was vying for the lead with Danyah, took back a little bit and then really grabbed the bit,” said Watson of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Obaid Al Maktoum's gelding.
“So we know he can come from off the pace and we learned a lot that night, plus he’s strengthened up a lot this year.”
Watson also runs three-time course winner Thegreatcollection, fourth in the Creek Mile, and 2021 G3 Burj Nahaar winner Midnight Sands, as well as Everfast, third in G2 Maktoum Challenge R2 last season.
The Red Stables trainer will prepare his quintet understanding the strong opposition in the field.
Secret Ambition is prepared by Bupat Seemar, with the trainer yet to win the race while his uncle six-time UAE champion trainer Satish Seemar prepared winner North America in 2019.
The 10YO Secret son of Australian multiple Group One winner Exceed and Excel returns from a 286-day break from the races and his record speaks for itself having won the Group 2 Godolphin Mile by a massive six lengths, the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes by four lengths and second place finishes in the Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile and Dubai Creek Mile, all in the 2021 season.
Trainer Salem bin Ghadayer is sure to be happy with his 6YO Down on the Bayou, with the mare coming off a win in a conditions race five days prior at Jebel Ali.
She is not one to be ignored, having won the UAE Oaks by nearly 19 lengths two seasons ago and looking just as fresh in her run last week.
Owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum she will be one with a lot of attention come gates open on Friday night at Meydan.
There is $180,000 up for grabs in the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort, over 1400metres on turf. Charlie 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.
He is back to run the board again and add another victory here on Friday night with a pair of hopefuls.
The younger of the pair is the 4YO Noble Truth who has 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.
Al Suhail is the other runner of the pair 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).
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 and pilot Noble Truth and Al Suhail in this year’s edition.
The Group 3 Dubawi Stakes run over 1200metres on dirt is often a gateway to the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on World Cup night. The 2022 winner of that race, Switzerland will return to action in the Dubawi Stakes, alongside stablemates Tuz and Freedom Fighter.
He is the highest rated from the field having not only won the Group One Dubai Golden Sheehan last March but also the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint, in dominant fashion.
In his win in the Sprint race, he thumped the other five competitors in the field winning by close to ten lengths with Tadhg O’Shea on board.
Prepared by Bhupat Seemar for owners RRR Racing the 9YO gelded son of Speightstown looks very fresh and ready to go.
“The old man is looking good. Hopefully he still has the spark, I can see it on the track and he is doing good,” Seemar told Racing Dubai.
“We had him for a year and got to know his habits and quirks and that really helped.”
“The plan will be to either send him to Saudi or keep him here – we will see after his run in the Dubawi Stakes.”
Of Listed winner Tuz, second in the Listed Garhoud Sprint last time out, he added: “He was my first Stakes winner over a mile, but this year we decided he’s got so much natural speed so we’ll try him sprinting. The plan wasn’t to lead last time, but Richie [Mullen, jockey] got him out of the gates really well and he latched on, went to win, and just got caught.”
Former Australian trainer prepares the 5YO Mouheeb who backs up from winning the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint 25 days ago.
He will try to make it two straight wins and will line up against Tuz in the Stakes who ran second to him last start.
Mouheeb also won the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas in 2021.
“He’s quite a strong, robust horse and he showed he was quite sharp in his trackwork,” said trainer Michael Costa about Mouheeb’s conversion to sprinting, having won the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas in 2021.
“It was so good to see him at Meydan; he really put his ears back and was determined to win.”
The final race on the card is the Dubai Dash Listed race , which will run for the first time this year in the name of the late and great Ertijaal.
The Shadwell's homebred son of Oasis Dream began his career in Britain, trained by William Haggas, before being transferred to Ali Rashid Al Rayhi campaigning in the UAE for his next four seasons, as a seven-year-old.
The gelding won the Gr.3 Meydan Sprint (2017) and defended his title when the race was elevated to Group Two.
His win in the 2017 edition of the sprint helped jockey Jim Crowley to a riding double while also taking the spoils.
Crowley had partnered the horse in his last six starts for four wins and two placings to end his career. The hoop always commented on Etijaal’s pure speed and devastating turn of foot.
"He has got plenty of boot and was very fast out of the stalls. I just got into a nice rhythm and let him flow and he stuck on nicely,” Crowley said after the Sprint win.
"He always wants to get on with it and he doesn't like to be in there too long (stalls).”
"He has got lots of speed.”
"Wherever he goes I want to be on him."
He was the UAE’s top-rated horse of 2017 and with every start, he showed why adding to his CV and impressive performances.
The Shadwell-bred and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum-owned racer was runner-up in the 2016 Al Quoz Sprint and third in the same feature race the following year.
His legacy will always be linked to Meydan having won there seven times between 2015 and 2018 with his biggest win margin being four lengths storming clear over the 1000 metres in January 2016.
He was the model of consistency having won half of his 22 starts and amassing over $1,274,954 in prize money for trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi taking over his preparation in the UAE.
The speedster passed in November 2018 following a bout with colic and having his last start in March that year under Jim Crowley finishing second to one of his frequent rivals and competitors in Jungle Cat.
On his passing trainer, Al Rayhi told the media about his emotional state when his stable star passed.
“He was certainly one of the most popular horses in the UAE and over five furlongs one of the fastest in the world.”
With the naming of this sprint race his legacy will continue stronger than ever and showcase some of the equine speed stars the world has to offer on the track at Meydan for years to come.
The finale run over 1000 metres is sure to be action packed with a quality field of 16 declared with frequent winners at the track taking part.
Three-time course winner Man Of Promise lines up here for Appleby, as does Group 2 Blue Point Sprint winner Lazuli, while Equilateral, winner of this race in 2021, is one of two in the race for UK trainer Charlie Hills, who also runs Group 2 winner Khaadem.
The Dubai Racing Club Classic is the first Thoroughbred race on the card, over 2410 metres on turf. It has attracted six Godolphin runners, including one-time Epsom Derby hope Walk Of Stars, as well as four UK visitors. Two of these, Enemy and Green Team, are trained by Ian Williams, already successful at the Carnival when Sir Maximilian scored for him in 2016.
“He ran really well in Dubai last season and his form just tailed off over the summer,” said the trainer about Enemy, fourth in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy in February.
“He disappointed us in the Ebor [Handicap] and we radio scoped him and found he was having a problem with his larynx, so he had a wind op.
“Sadly, he missed his prep race when it was abandoned due to frost, but he goes to Dubai fit and ready to run and hopefully gives us a bold showing.”
Racing gets underway at 6pm officially opening the World Cup Carnival and showcasing the world’s talented racers and the profile of Dubai racing has made on the map.
By Rowan Anderson.