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| Staff Writer |
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Tuz is preparing for his eagerly anticipated return to action at Meydan, nine months after his scintillating victory in the Gr.1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on World Cup night. The 7YO speedster, trained by Bhupat Seemar, carries a 1.5kg penalty for that triumph as he faces six rivals.
Seemar, the UAE Champion Trainer, is brimming with confidence about his stable star's condition. "He's wonderful!" he shared. "He's a 7YO, so he's still a bit chunky, but I think we have him fitter than last year when he was beaten first time out at Sharjah."
The Zabeel Stables trainer is launching a three-pronged attack, with Morning and Freedom Fighter joining their illustrious stablemate. Morning, fresh from a victory at Sharjah three weeks ago, will have Silvestre de Sousa in the saddle.
Doug Watson's Colour Up, who claimed this race last year before going on to place in the Gr.2 Al Fahidi Fort, heads the opposition, while the Michael Costa-trained Mojeyrr enters the fray following a course and distance success last month.
The US$68,000 Zoho Handicap over 2000m provides an intriguing supporting feature. Mount Kosciuszko, representing trainer Julio Olascoaga, enters the contest following an impressive victory at Jebel Ali. The grey faces six rivals, including recent course winner Lahresh.
The evening's opener sees an interesting 2YO contest featuring Channagide, a half-brother to 2022 Gr.2 UAE Derby runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow. Trained by Lucie Botti, he'll be partnered by Andrew Slattery.
The Botti stable also fields Yuvraaj, while Seemar introduces the fascinating French import Just, a son of Justify formerly trained by Andre Fabre. Stablemate Undefeated returns following a promising third over 1200m at the track.
The eight-race card, featuring total prize money exceeding US$500,000, commences at 5:30pm local time, with gates opening at 4pm.