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| Rowan Anderson |
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With the Dubai World Cup Carnival heating up Meydan hosted the fourth fixture of the 2023 edition of the carnival with eight runners getting bumps in their ratings off the back of impressive performances.
Doug Watson had the 7YO gelded son of Dubawi ready to win in the Group Three Firebreak Stakes as Sam Withcott onboard track leaders before hitting the lead with 350m left to run rolling on to win by 1.25 lengths. With the win Prince Eiji claimed his second win in Meydan having won the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in December by the exact same margin.
Having had his local debut in December 2021 for a second placing and breaking his maiden with his only other win in September 2018.
Prior to Friday night Naval Power did not have an official rating with his start the Listed Jumeirah Classic being his the first UAE start and the 3YO colt made his intentions clear with William Buick onboard. The Norwegian hoop has partnered him for five from six career starts that have seen him now win three Listed company races. The son of Teofilo x Emirates Rewards looks rock hard fit and will be ready to go next start and continue performing for Appleby and the Godolphin powerhouse.
With each run the Mussabbeh Al Mheiri trained colt has shown improvement. With his first run at the start of December he finished third at Jebel Ali nine lengths off the winner, Flying Hunter. Stepping out twenty days after that he began at Meydan finishing second 1.25 lengths behind the winner on that occasion. Last week at Meydan he broke through winning the Festival City Stakes under retained hoop Antonio Fresu to win by 4.5 lengths announcing his ability and being rewarded with a significant bump to his ratings.
Being rewarded with a great rating rise this gelded son of Dunkerque took out the Listed Dubai Sprint over the heavily favoured Man Of Promise in a head bobbing finish. On his third try at Meydan, both runs that the team would rather forget, the 5YO returned to the winners circle for the first time since December 2021 while racing in Deauville. This was the fourth start for him with the Gordon Elliot stable after being transferred from John McConnell who had the horse for a single race last year after taking on the horse from Le Dren Doleuze in May last year. It seems Elliot may have a handy type on his hands here after 14 career starts for six wins and four placings he has rediscovered form if this win serves as a benchmark.
What a finish! The 4YO colt won by a short neck over the favoured Withering under the talented Tadhg O’Shea. It was his second run in the UAE following six starts in the UK and impressively was his first run on dirt after his only other win came on all weather track.
This Exceed and Excel filly could really be something great if her form continues having won a Group Two in Newmarket, a second in a Group Three at Ascot and a third placing in a Newmarket Group One. The run in the Jumeirah Classic for Fillies over 1400m last week was the Godolphin three-year-olds local debut winning by a very short head and Saeed bin Suroor will continue to have her prepared for her next challenge. For this victory Pat Cosgrove saddled her for the first time after fellow Irishman, Ray Dawson, partnered her for all of her five starts previously.
The gelding made history becoming the first Danish trained horse to win during the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Trained by Soren Jensen the son of Appel Au Maitre has lined up 17 times for nine wins and a further six placings and this win came with her local debut by a short head.
His win last week in the Longines Record Collection handicap at Meydan made it two wins in the UAE from nine starts after his local debut twelve months ago. Trained by Bhupat Seemar and with Tadhg O’Shea onboard the son of Shamardal chased home the leading pack to lead with 300m left to run and rolling on to take the win by over two lengths.