Rowan Anderson |
A bumper eight race card at Meydan on Friday night sees quality fields highlighted by a Group Three and two Listed class features.
The Group Three Firebreak Stakes run over 1500 on dirt for horses aged four years and over and is named in honour of Firebreak who won the Hong Kong Mile for Godolphin in 2004.
French hoop Mickael Barzalona may only be 31 years old but he holds the record for the most wins in the saddle for the race having won it three times (2018, 2020, 2022). He is very handy and this season so far has recorded seven wins, matching his win total of last season already, with prize money surpassing $1.2 million.
Trainer Salem bin Ghadayer prepared Barzalona’s rides (Heavy Metal, Cappezzano and Hypothetical) and this season he sits fourth on the trainer championship ladder in pursuit of Bhupat Seemar who sits one spot above with two more wins.
A field of 16 has been announced with Doug Watson training a trio that includes the top-rated Prince Eiji.
The 7YO gelded son of Dubawi ran fifth in the Group Two Al Maktoum Challenge 19 days ago but won the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in December in his UAE debut this season.
Salem bin Ghadayer prepares five for the contest this season with three of those on UAE debut including his highest-ranked hope the 4YO colt Ever Given.
The Listed Jumeirah Classic formerly the Meydan Classic is run over 1600m for three-year-olds on turf.
Long Kiss will head in with a lot of favouritism after taking out the Trial for the feature by a bobbing head over the Tom Dascombe-trained Felix Natalis earlier this month.
The 3YO colt is trained by Julio Olascoaga and in three starts at the track, he has won two and rounded out the local form with a third placing.
“He is doing good! He came out well from last race and he has been training normally. Will thank the extra distance from the last run in this start,” Olascoaga said.
He will have it tougher here when he faces off with the Charlie Appleby-trained colt Naval Power who will be looking to add a third Listed win to his CV. The 3YO son of Teofilo returns to the track after a 110-day break following a sixth place finish in a Newmarket Group One a way off the winner (11.5 lengths) under William Buick.
Race five will see the Jumeirah contest for the fillies with a field of 12 set to battle it out for the USD $100,000 purse. Uruguayan trainer Olascoaga prepares Jewel Genie Lamp in the second start at Meydan and the UAE after finishing seventh in the three year olds last start 33 days ago.
Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor prepares an interesting prospect in Mawj who is sired by the Australian Exceed and Excel and enters this race after a 124 break from the track. She has had five career starts, four being in Group Company in the UK. Her stats are a victory in a Group Two, a second in a Group Three and her last start was an impressive third in a Group One under handy hoop Ray Dawson.
The other Listed race is the Dubai Sprint running over 1200m and will see some of the fastest go around and this field for Friday night is far from ordinary.
Man of Promise will be heavily favoured to make it a third Dubai Sprint after the Charlie Appleby-trained 6YO won last year under William Buick with stablemate Lazuli coming second.
Last season he also won the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint further proving his credentials and showing that Meydan is where he puts in his best work with seven starts at the track for three wins and two further placings. The gelded son of Into Mischief will be out on Friday night to add to his CV he already has one Group Three and two Listed class victories adorning it.